The Darkness Within: Phoenix Version
by tracefan
Summary: We are all driven by something, whether it be love, justice, or friendship. But buried within lies power fueled by hate, selfishness, and the thirst for revenge. A sarcastic Dragonair discovers that sometimes you can't embrace just one side...CANCELLED
1. Arc 1: New Beginning

**This is the reboot of the original TDW, which experienced extreme development issues due to long-standing problems. I have decided to keep the original up, primarily for the sake of preserving the source material. This version will undoubtedly deviate from the original material, and will create innumerable inconsistencies between the versions, some more major than others. Most characters and certain events will be preserved, as they are part of a definite continuity. For most purposes, consider this the "correct" canon. **

**I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism.**

* * *

I opened my eyes, yawning lazily. Morning so soon? Yet a quick look around my surroundings confirmed that I was not, unfortunately, outdoors, but rather within the simulated environment of my Pokeball. It seems that no matter how far human technology advances or how comfortable they believe they can make a Pokeball, the created environments still give off a distinct element of falseness, betraying all feelings of comfort one could possibly acquire from such states of living.

Seriously, how can Pokémon live in these things without going insane? The Pokeball technology allegedly creates the environment from the mind of the inhabitant, but I'm pretty confident my mind doesn't conjure up scentless flowers, tasteless water, and breeze-less meadows. If it did, I should probably make an appointment with the Hypno psychiatrist, because something's not right upstairs. It's much easier to call it a fault of the technology.

On the topic of technological flaws, I wonder how they justify storing powerful Pokémon inside Pokeballs that are clearly not secure enough to hold them with any reasonable degree of certainty. I closed my eyes and focused my energy, my desire to be released from the rip-off world bypassing the Pokeball's lock. Before long, I felt a firm, tugging sensation at the center of my body before being pulled from the pseudo-reality back into the real world. I didn't emerge in an outdoors environment, but it sure hell beat that depressingly fake simulation.

I stretched out my long coils upon emerging, casting a look about the room. It was a human's office, a room where humans amuse themselves for hours on end by doing useless, tedious work that they punctuate with grumbling. I should probably be concerned about what the human race considers to be boring work. The office was as mundane as one might expect, with a single desk next to me, piled with paperwork and occupied by my trophy human. He's a trophy because he's high up in the organization, not because I want him on display. Really, if I had my way, he'd be stuffed in a closet somewhere.

"Dragonair," the man sighed. "Why do you always break out of the Pokeball?" He glanced at me with a faint smile, despite his tone of irritation. If he was that against me breaking out when I got bored, he should maybe consider getting a better Pokeball. I didn't reply, knowing he wouldn't understand me anyway, and moved to get a better look at the paperwork he had out. I immediately noticed a line of intelligent-sounding words, half of which were being used in the wrong context, so I can only assume Ethan added them to the report in an attempt to sound more competent. I somehow doubt his boss knew what half the words meant, which may have been Ethan's intention. He clearly missed the memo that if your boss can't understand what you're reporting, you're not doing your job right.

I then spotted a second report on the desk, filed in Ethan's Inbox, where literally every other word was misspelled and riddled with punctuation errors. Any word that sounded remotely intelligent was probably chosen from the dictionary at random, because I can't fathom how the word got worked into the report otherwise. Who uses the word 'amorphous' in a report about bagels? Or...at least I think it's about bagels...the word bagel is definitely in the report. I should probably stop reading for comprehension and just assume it's a well-written parody of a report. Whether or not it's true, I'll feel better that the guy's a literary genius and not a brain-dead moron with no grasp of the human language.

At that moment, the office door opened and a nervous-looking youth walked into the office, his legs shaking a little as he approached the desk. Ethan glanced up briefly with a dull nod towards the arriving youth, who was looking at me strangely. I gave him a fierce glare, prompting him to hastily avert his gaze. I followed his approach with my eyes, not letting up my stare for a moment. It's hilarious how unnerved the grunts get when I do that, especially when they have something to present to their boss. Ethan never bothered to reassure them that he's not going to sic me on them if he didn't like their reports.

"S-sir," the youth began, already stumbling over his words as he shot a nervous glance in my direction. I narrowed my eyes, prompting a twitch from him and his hands started shaking. I fought the urge to grin. This never gets old.

"Yes?" Ethan prompted the youth, fully aware of what I was doing. I think he secretly finds this just as funny as I do.

"H-here...the r-report..." the youth stammered, producing a file folder with quaking hands.

"I have an in-box for a reason," Ethan said, frowning. I smirked widely, just as the young man glanced in my direction, his face going pale at the sight of my expression. "Is there anything ELSE to inform me of?"

"YES!" the young man burst out, sweat trickling down his brow. "It's done."

"Oh?" Ethan remarked. "But you didn't bring it with you?"

"N-no, it's r-right here," the youth said, placing a briefcase on the desk, looking like he was going to pass out.

"And you didn't say this before?" Ethan asked, flipping the case open. I leered at the youth, letting a few sparks fly from my horn with a mildly ominous air. "You're dismissed," Ethan said. The youth positively fled the room, slamming the door on the way out. "Come here, Dragonair. Our labs have been working on this," he said.

I moved nearer to inspect the contents of the case left behind, blinking upon realizing that the case contained...some sort of metal collar. I'm sure the world is trembling before Team Rocket's greatest technological advancement. Ethan gestured for me to come nearer, which I did, watching him warily. If this was a trick for some sort of enslavement collar, someone important was going to get mauled. Not by me, I'd be enslaved, but...

Ethan removed the device from the case and placed it around my neck. Nothing happened. "Brilliant. Something that doesn't do anything. Not much of a fashion statement either," I remarked blandly, feeling let down. To my surprise, Ethan laughed.

"No, it works. It's a collar that translates your words so humans can understand you," he told me. "Funny, I never did peg you as a smart-ass," he added. I blinked at him.

"Smart-tail. Or smart-cloacae if you want to be really specific," I corrected. Ethan gave me a blank look. "Moving on...you can really understand me?"

"Yes."

"Gerbils pancake voodoo tables," I said, in a tone of profound wisdom. I will probably never forget the bewildered look on the human's face. "Just screwing with you."

"Hm, I see," Ethan muttered. He has no sense of humor. "There's an operation I need you to assist with," he said, seating himself at the desk again and returning to his report.

"Eh...what is it?" I whined. I hate when they try to get me to do stuff. I'm the Pokémon of an executive; I should be able to slack off with impunity without being made to do work. Ethan silently pushed a small pile of paperwork towards me, detailing the plans. I scanned it quickly. "You spelled 'devastation' wrong."

"Whatever," Ethan grumbled. I smirked, which was wiped away when he added, "If you're not up to it, I'll put Ed in charge."

"An ultimatum? Tough choice...I can either abuse a position of authority, or let a psychopath abuse a position of authority. Yeah...I think I'll take the mission, thanks." Even if I hadn't been given the pseudo-ultimatum, I wouldn't have passed up a position of authority while I have this collar. If humans could actually understand me, ordering them around just became a lot easier, and the alternative was to let my least favorite Rocket do the ordering.

This could be fun.


	2. Unexpected Operation

It is a rare opportunity to lead a Rocket operation. Even as the Pokémon of one of the human executives, I've almost never been given any genuine authority, except among a number of the Pokémon. It can be said I command a certain amount of respect, even among the humans, although our line of communication has never been sound before now. As such, I was rather enjoying the experience.

A trio of unmarked boats had set off from Vermillion Harbor, en route to the operation site. Alongside the boats were a number of water Pokémon, which were tasked with the detection and elimination of water threats, such as mines, radar, hostile Pokémon, and so on. Normally, I would be one of the Pokémon with this assignment, but I casually passed it on to a Tentacruel in favor of curling up on the deck of one of the boats.

It was a peaceful morning, for the most part. The sun was shining, the clouds were fluffy and white, and I was slacking off like a good executive, my chin resting on the guardrail of the deck. Most of the humans were either doing some on-hands task with the boat's operation, or avoiding me. I had quickly made an example of one of the grunts' sloppy performance by making it public knowledge, forcing him to do the task properly, and then increased his workload with more mundane tasks. Needless to say, most were disinclined to look idle in my presence, so they chose not to be present at all.

In fact, the only creature on deck with me was a canine Pokémon with blue fur, her head covered in electric yellow fur that also jutted from her hindquarters and around the ankles of her forepaws. I had elected her as my unofficial second in command shortly after boarding. I'm sure she appreciated the bit of weight she could throw around, but at the moment, she looked rather queasy.

"Enjoying the ride, Electra?" I asked casually, lifting my head and looking over at her. She winced, clearly unwilling to open her mouth. "What about the view? Or the bobbing sensation as we go over waves?"

"Just shut up," she growled. I chuckled, turning my gaze back to the water. I never figured her for the type to get seasick, but you learn new things every day.

Roughly fifteen or twenty minutes passed before the boats made their way into the operation site. For starters, the boat I was on pulled into a docking bay. The other two would remain on the sea itself as backup for the first wave. Rockets emerged from below deck, all dressed in their black uniforms, each shirt stamped with a bright red 'R' on the front. Nothing is more subtle than a recognizable uniform that announces your occupation to the world.

Electra was the first off the boat, and sighed in relief upon touching firm ground. As I was getting off, a large blue snake creature shot out of the water, blocking my path. Fierce angry eyes glared at me and its large jaws were filled with sharp teeth. I retreated an inch or so, looking up at the Gyarados. However, I felt not a trace of fear, for the water snake was a familiar one.

"Surprised?" the Gyarados asked, smirking slightly.

"Not particularly, Venom," I answered, making to go around the water snake, but soon found my path blocked off again. "Your choice of positioning is rather inconvenient," I remarked. Venom chuckled.

"Master Ed's quite displeased," Venom mused. "Something about being ordered around by a Pokémon when he should be running this show."

"Well, that's downright fascinating, Venom," I replied, rolling my eyes. "Keep me updated on his mood, please. Fifteen minute intervals should be sufficient. Now if you'll excuse me..." Again I made to go around the larger serpent, and yet again the Gyarados shifted to the side, intercepting my attempt to pass.

"If you're in charge, I insist Master Ed is given a better role on this mission than to be a grunt," Venom said, a growl punctuating his demand. I smirked, entirely unfazed by the challenge.

"Isn't it kind of sad you're trying to get special treatment for your trainer?" I asked. "The adoring look in your eyes really doesn't help the subtext. And in case you've forgotten...I don't like him. He has an entitlement complex, no subtlety, is borderline psychopathic, and..." I paused. "There's a fourth reason in there somewhere."

Venom glared at me. "Whether you like him or not, make it a favor to me to-"

"To what?" I laughed. "You don't get favors from me, Venom. I don't DO favors."

"Ever?" Venom sneered. "What about for close friends?"

"Close friends...I'd consider it. You don't qualify as a close friend," I countered. "Now, it's been nice talking to you, very refreshing, but I have slacking off to do."

"What?"

I ignored the Gyarados' confusion, slipping past him and following after the small mob of Rockets that had been getting into position during my talk with the Gyarados. Ed was instantly recognizable among them, being noticeably more muscular than the average, yet maintaining the somewhat stringy build most of them had. He glared at me resentfully, which I accepted with a smirk.

"Your orders, _sir_?" Ed asked, his tone contemptuous. He's quite possibly the only Rocket with the gall to challenge a Dragonair. If I was a Salamence or another well-known aggressive dragon...it would not end well for him. Certain Pokémon should never be challenged.

"You can go mop the deck of the ship while the rest of us do the mission, OR you could tone down your insubordination," I suggested, matching his sneer. His eyes hardened and he said nothing in reply. "Smart move, keep walking. You should know the drill for securing an area. Draw as little attention as possible to yourselves and the MOMENT you see someone who could be a threat, intercept and HOLD. Let's avoid unnecessary murder charges."

Thankfully, the squad of Rockets I was overseeing were actually competent, and within a half hour, Ed resentfully reported that the area was secure. I was coiled up lazily in the shade of a tree, trying to catch a nap. He was obviously less than thrilled about that particular aspect, but he didn't dare voice his thoughts.

"So no police patrols?" I asked. He shook his head. "Verbal responses are best for verbal questions."

Ed scowled, but replied, "There aren't any patrols. All their men and resources are at the headquarters."

"Sounds rather presumptuous of you," I noted, stretching my coils and lifting my head. "Proceed with the capture and 'devestition'," I said, smirking when I finished speaking. Ed gave me a strange look, but wisely chose not to question me.

"Hey Dragonair, I got something!" Electra's voice called. I turned my head to face her, blinking in mild alarm when she came over and deposited a small yellow mouse creature at the base of my coils. Its large ears were lined with black, and its small tail, shaped like a partial lightning bolt, was also black. Its cheeks had a pink hue to them, and sparks occasionally flew from its cheeks.

"Why...did you bring me a Pichu?" I asked blankly. Electra snorted.

"Caught it sneaking around. It tried to run, but I caught it," she said, blocking the small Pichu with her paws, preventing it from fleeing. The young Pokémon whimpered, twitching every so often.

"Electra...did it ever occur to you that a kit-age Pokémon is probably not a threat to the operation?" I asked, raising an eye scale. She flushed slightly. "I'm amazed its parents didn't catch you and beat the...heck out of you."

"It was by itself," the Manectric grumbled. I gave her a deadpan look.

"So you saw a kit...thought 'Hey, Dragonair will praise me for successfully catching a baby', went through the trouble of capturing it, came over to me, and expressed your concern for a kit being by itself in the wild? How very thoughtful of you. And here I thought you were insensitive to the needs of the helpless. Good work."

"Uh...thanks," Electra muttered, her expression perplexed. She pushed the small Pokémon towards me and I idly wrapped my tail around it. At a nod from me, Electra walked off to assist the humans with their task, while I studied the anxious Pokémon. It stared back with wide, frightened eyes, an expression of fearfulness that did not lessen when I smiled at it.

"You're kind of young to be on your own," I noted. Only irresponsible parents would let their child wonder off, and if Electra managed to catch it without intervention, then either they were horrible caretakers or something happened to result in separation. "Can you talk yet?" I asked. I doubted it, personally, but some kits learn speech faster than others.

The Pichu didn't answer, except to whimper. I sighed. Guess that was too much to hope for from a Pokémon this young. I continued to study it, noting that it made no attempts to flee, but I could see the discomfort in its eyes.

"Do you have a name?" I tried again. Usually the first word someone learns is their name or some variation of a parental term. The Pichu gave me a tentative look. "Go on," I prompted, as gently as I was comfortable with.

"S-spark," the Pichu stammered, sparks flying from its cheeks. A disturbingly appropriate name, but not exactly one I was pleased to hear.

"Where are your parents?" I asked. Now that I knew he wasn't entirely incapable of speech, I hoped he could answer some of the questions I had regarding the situation.

"Me no know."

I blinked at the response. "You don't know?"

"Me no know!" Spark wailed, tears forming in his eyes. Oh please, don't cry. I do not want to deal with a crying kit.

"Why don't you know?" I asked, furrowing my brow. Had he wondered off? Had he been abandoned? Nothing was particularly clear and I doubted the Pichu exactly had the vocabulary or speaking skill to give me much information. "When did you see them last?"

"Me no know!" Spark wailed, tears already pouring down his cheeks. I sighed. I did not need this.

"ELECTRA!" I shouted, the Pichu cringing from my loud voice. The Manectric came rushing over a moment or two later. "Where the hell..." I coughed quickly. "...did you find this kit?"

"What?"

"Show me...where you found...this young Pichu," I said slowly, using my tail to mime the actions as I spoke. Electra rolled her eyes, but started walking. I coiled the end of my tail around the Pichu's body and floated after the Manectric. Travel was so much harder when I was a Dratini, and carrying a Pichu so it didn't run off would have been nigh impossible. I try to appreciate the little things.


	3. Investigation

Thankfully, the Pichu didn't make much of a fuss about being carried in my coils. I trailed behind Electra, who was walking at a leisurely pace, which was good because I wasn't in a hurry. The humans were probably not going to be done with their little mission for several minutes or so, giving the two of us plenty of time to figure out what to do about the little electric rodent.

"Just how far were you patrolling?" I asked the Manectric, staring as she led me through some underbrush into a more forested region. She looked back at me with a tight smile.

"I like to be thorough," she answered. I rolled my eyes. She was so thorough, she went out of her way to bring me a near-harmless Pichu. That takes a special brand of dedication.

The Pichu squirmed in my coils, but I held fast. He wasn't going anywhere unless I wanted to set him free. And any child separated from his parents should not be turned out into the world, especially with Rockets in the area. I didn't trust any of them, least of all Ed, to leave it alone if it got in the way.

"Almost there," Electra assured me, glancing over her shoulder with an apprehensive expression. She must have missed the memo that I wasn't in a hurry and therefore not about to lash out at her for not bringing me to our destination faster. I mean, sure I was missing nap time, but that's hardly a reason to get upset despite her following instructions.

"Just tell me when."

"Here!" Electra called, turning around to face me and drawing an 'X' in the dirt. "I saw him wandering RIGHT here!" she said, grinning proudly and slapping the X with her paw.

"That's disturbingly specific, Electra. I do hope you didn't strain yourself getting the exact coordinates."

The Manectric flushed and didn't reply. I floated forward, carefully scanning the surroundings, in the hopes of finding a Pokémon or two that could be Spark's parents. Presumably, at least one of them was going to be a Pikachu or Raichu, but as far as my eyes could tell, the only nearby orange or yellow Pokémon, excluding the Pichu itself, was Electra.

"Your sense of smell any good for tracking?" I asked the canine. She frowned.

"I'm stationed as a guard more often than not, and inspect scents."

"A simple 'yes' would have sufficed, thank you. Now...follow the Pichu's scent and see where he had been coming from. Think you can do that?" I asked. Electra nodded, walking over to the coiled Pichu, which whined a little, sparks flying from its cheeks. Thankfully, my scales absorbed the shock without any pain.

The Manectric soon returned to the marked spot and sniffed the ground. Her ears perked up and she took a few steps away from the X marking, her sniffing tolerably quiet. I waited patiently, lowering my body to the ground. Electra began to circle the area before us, navigating literally in circles for no less than two minutes, each trail miraculously not intersecting with a previous part of the trail. From observation alone, I deduced that the electric rodent had been wandering throughout this area with absolutely no idea where it was going, and had traveled almost every square inch of the area.

"Getting somewhere, Electra?" I asked, smirking. The canine growled an affirmative and I finally approached her, realizing she was starting to move further away from me. Electra stopped abruptly and looked up, glancing back at me with a perplexed expression. "Something wrong? Don't tell me you lost the trail."

"No...I hear something," she said, her ear twitching. I went silent, listening the best I could. I knew her hearing was better than mine, so I'd have to take her word on it. "This way," she said, starting off in the presumed direction of the sounds.

"Is this still following the scent trail, Electra?" I asked, nevertheless floating into pace alongside the Manectric. She nodded vaguely, her eyes flicking at the bushes and trees she passed, her ears continuing to twitch every so often. Resigning myself to following her judgment, I focused on keeping the Pichu kit calm, as he was starting to fidget more than before. Rather than fidgeting from discomfort, however, he seemed more afraid than anything. Can't blame him for that, although I wish he was better at communicating and answering my earlier questions.

"Here!" Electra barked several minutes later. I looked around, seeing nothing of fascination.

"Are you sure? A single degree of latitude off and we could-"

"Look at the ground!" the canine growled impatiently.

"Fascinating ground...wait, what I am looking for?" I asked, squinting at Electra.

"Tell me what you see," the Manectric insisted. Oh wonderful, I have to humor her to get answers to my questions. If it weren't for the fact I had upgraded her to second-in-command, I'd chew her out for insubordination. Then again, she never did take much from me.

"There's some indentations and the ground is compressed, as if a heavy creature passed by recently. There's a cave a quarter-mile from here, if the geography maps were accurate, so it could be an Onix living in the area."

"No, it can't," Electra argued.

"And pray tell, mistress of deduction, how do you figure that?"

"Because the trail doesn't go anywhere. If an Onix-"

"Or similar," I interrupted.

"Yeah, or similar, passed through while being native to the area, it would have a longer trail, a deeper rut, and its path wouldn't be exclusive to this area," the electric canine explained, gesturing to the wider area. Upon inspection, I had to concede she had a mild point. The indentations and damage to the ground only extended for about twenty feet before disappearing. Unfortunately, I didn't see how this mild point fit in with the bigger picture.

"That's impressive detective work, Electra," I said, noting that the electric quadruped straightened at the praise. "Unfortunately, your talents are wasted on something only marginally relevant."

Electra blinked. "That is relevant."

"Explain."

"If the path disappeared, then the creator of the path disappeared, and with a size like that, and similarities to an Onix, it's probably a trained Onix," Electra explained, smirking.

"And this is relevant because...?" I asked, using my tail to prompt her to continue speaking.

"Who in this area has a trained Onix?" Electra challenged. I sighed. She's so slow on the elaboration.

"Humor me and get to the point, please."

"The Pichu was in the vicinity of the Onix. Afterwards, it dashed off in random directions, according to the scent I followed," Electra explained.

"What does this have to do with anything?" I insisted. "We're looking for a parent, not...oh..."

"Exactly," Electra smirked, seeing that I had caught on to her point at last.

"But we don't actually know if that's a coincidence or whether anything actually happened," I reminded the Manectric. "And even if one or both of the parents did go up against a trained Onix, we have no leads on who was the owner of the Onix or what happened right afterwards. Sparky here can't talk."

"Me talk," the Pichu grumbled from his place in my coils. I rolled my eyes. Even if it could talk, it probably wasn't going to.

"Okay, then. Did you come across an Onix?" The Pichu looked blank and I groaned. Figures, he would have no clue what an Onix was. "It's a giant rock snake." The Pichu continued to give me a long blank look. "Electra, help me out here."

"How should I know how to describe an Onix to a baby? You're the living dictionary," the Manectic snorted.

"This is getting us somewhere. That's great. Hey kid, Spark or whatever, where are your parents?"

"Me no know!" Spark whined. Oh right, I asked this already.

"Are they lost? Are they hurt? Did they fight something? Something big?" I persisted. I am so overqualified for this. Communicating with a child was not one of my strong suits. Fortunately, Spark seemed to understand the question enough to nod. "Oh good, we're getting somewhere," I sighed, nevertheless experiencing a sense of relief. The sooner I got this over with, the sooner I could go back to what I was doing. Namely, nothing.

"Okay, if we're right about it being an Onix...then maybe they got captured?" Electra guessed.

"What happened?" I prompted the Pichu. He sniffled loudly, his ears starting to water. I hope he doesn't start crying again.

"Mommy and Daddy go away!" he wailed. Oh, so he does have some sort of a vocabulary. Unfortunately, he remained primarily incomprehensible.

"What's that mean?"

"Mean people!" Spark growled, sparks flying from his cheeks. I looked over at Electra, whose expression told me she felt the same way I did. If the little Pichu had seen enough to get an idea of what happened, even if it wasn't clear, we could have used that information BEFORE coming here.

"So a trainer decided to sic an Onix on his parents, or one of them, and captured them...I assume. That still leaves us without any-"

"Over here," Electra called, studying the ground off to the side of the rut. I floated over and she pointed out a boot imprint in the ground. From the looks of it, there had a rainstorm recently, since the ground had been soft enough for so many easy imprints.

"There are hundreds of boots in the world, Electra. It could belong to a police officer from their little base or a-"

"Look closer!" the Manectric snapped. I sighed, but obeyed. "Don't you recognize it? It's a Rocket-issued boot."

"Electra, my eye-level is not on the same line with the boots of grunts, nor am I inclined to look at their feet when they pass me. How the he...ck...did you expect me to recognize the imprint of a boot?" I demanded. The canine shrugged. "Well, that's nice to know. One of our men is responsible. Know off the top of your head who uses an Onix?"

"No," Electra grunted. "But I doubt it was since arrival. I'd have heard the Onix."

"Wonderful, so it was one of our scouts?" I asked skeptically. Electra gave me another shrug. "You're proving to be less and less useful as time goes on," I noted.

"You wouldn't have figured it out on your own," she shot back.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Fine, fine, I take it back."

"You'd better," Electra said. Spark whined a little, drawing my attention back to him.

"Ah yes, now what do I do about you?" I mused. If the kit's parents were indeed captured by one of the Rockets that had scouted the area beforehand, then that scout was probably back at the base. Most captured Pokémon were filed and reported to executives. If this had happened even a few hours ago, it was likely there was already a report about it. And if not, I could still get information about the grunts sent on missions, and their registered Pokémon. From there, I could narrow it down.

"Me want Mommy and Daddy," the Pichu whined. I winced at the increasing pitch of the kit's voice.

"All right, all right, I'll try to figure it out," I grumbled. The only way to get the information, though, would be to head back to base, and I was already in the middle of supervising a mission. "Come on, Electra," I said, turning and heading back the way we came, the Manectric trailing behind me.

It wasn't long until I had backtracked to the docking location, only to find a smug Ed waiting for me. "We completed securing the area. What's the next step?" he asked, disregarding the Pichu in my coils. Sudden inspiration touched my mind and I grinned.

"Oh good, you've proved to be relatively competent. I'll pass command to you and get back to base." The human blinked at my announcement, giving me a skeptical look. "No, I'm serious. Go nuts, but not too nuts. Just be sure to fill out the appropriate paperwork and the like. Okay? Okay. See you later," I said, turning towards the water. I could feel Ed's gaze on me as I retreated, but at last he evidently accepted the change in command, as I heard him calling for one of the other humans.

"Where are you going?" Venom demanded, squinting at me suspiciously.

"Granting your wish. Ed has a bigger role, and I'm getting out of your scales. Have fun," I told the Gyarados. Like Ed, he gave me a skeptical look, a priceless expression considering his overall intimidating demeanor.

"No, he's serious," Electra informed the larger water snake.

"And you owe me," I added quickly. Venom scowled.

"Owe you for what?"

I grinned at him. "I just did you a favor!"


	4. Return to the Base

"Here we are!" I stated unnecessarily, the moment we had returned to Vermillion. Electra, Spark, and I, along with an assortment of grunts that were deemed unnecessary to the continuation of the mission, had taken the boat back to the harbor. Once there, we made our way back to the building that served as our base of operations.

During the trip, Spark had proved to be more than mildly annoying, as he frequently wanted to know how much longer it would be until we arrived. Electra had seized the first chance to get below deck after the third instance of this, leaving me alone to deal with the electric rodent. Fortunately, I didn't have to put up with that any longer, now that we had arrived.

"You don't have to follow me everywhere I go," I reminded the Manectric as the threef of us, Spark safely held within my coils, made our way down the polished tile floor of the base. She shrugged, which likely indicated she just had nothing better to do. Oh joy. "You know, you could carry the kit if you're tagging along."

"I'm fine with my current tasks, thank you," she answered. I let the topic drop. Along the way, we passed a number of Rockets, some of them in undercover clothes, others in uniform. To the credit of the one in undercover outfits, they chose very tasteful clothing, well within the style of most of the human society. Good to see that someone did their research before passing out clothing.

Among the humans, a few Pokémon were also wandering around, doing their best to stay out of the way of the more time-pressured grunts. I noted that some of them were accompanying the humans to their various destinations, whereas others showed indications that they were 'free-roamers', a subcategory of Rocket Pokémon that do not have a definite trainer, but instead train and wander on their own time, free of the burden of Pokeballs and the like. Such Pokémon are often selected on a basis of usefulness to help out with various assignments, and their independence from a specific trainer's commands made them more valuable to the organization as a whole.

"Which way are you heading?" Electra asked curiously.

"Ethan's office," I answered. That was, after all, the most likely place the report would have been filed, and I could always ask him for details if I couldn't find it myself. May as well put this collar to good use. The Manectric shivered.

"I'll pass. You're on your own."

"Not going to grace him with your presence?" I teased. She shook her head firmly. "Fine, enjoy an afternoon of slacking off."

"Yeah, if I'm lucky," the Manectric muttered, walking down one of the side passages, leading towards one of the recreation rooms. I rolled my eyes and proceeded down the corridor leading to Ethan's office. I've taken the route dozens of times, to the extent that I could find it in my sleep. The trick to a well-concealed office for an executive was to place it, not somewhere isolated, but somewhere mundane and ordinary on the outside, so that it would be dismissed as a nobody's office if the police or similar ever took over the base, reducing the value and credibility of the paperwork as opposed to the decoy executive's disturbingly detailed maps, plans, and list of members stored in the safe.

I turned the last corner before Ethan's office and paused. The traffic of this corridor was thankfully less congested than elsewhere in the base, giving my coils more room for maneuverability. Spark fidgeted restlessly, prompting me to keep moving. He had been thankfully silent since arriving her, probably just unnerved by the number of humans and Pokémon, but either way, it spared me from the irritation of the Pichu drawing unnecessary attention via whimpers or crying.

"Relax, we're almost there," I told Spark absently. I was confident he at least knew I was trying to help him out, since he hadn't been crying or struggling every step of the way, but at the same time I couldn't be sure he wasn't just overly trusting. From the looks of him, I'd judge him to only be a few months old, tops, and even if he was an intelligent member of his specie, he was unlikely to fully understand my intentions.

I rapped my tail against Ethan's office door, leaning my head forward to bump the door open. Unfortunately, my head hit the wood with a solid thump. Okay, evidently the door wasn't ajar. Embarrassing, but luckily no one saw that. A stifled giggle from my right put an end to that consolation. With a dignified scowl, I turned towards the giggle.

"Amused, Ember?" I asked blandly. A bipedal lizard Pokémon was standing not three feet away, her orange scales glistening with a few scarce droplets of water, the end of her tail aglow with a softly burning flame. She crossed her arms across her chest and flashed a small smirk.

"Just a little," she said.

"Well, you're just in time," I said, draping my tail around the Charmander's shoulders. "How about you open the door for me, love?"

Ember blinked, her attention drawn to Spark, who was sparking nervously at being moved so close to the other Pokémon. "You are aware you're holding a Pichu in your coils, right?" she asked tentatively.

"No, that fact miraculously evaded my notice, thank you for bringing it to my attention," I answered. "The door, if you will."

"Hm, dare I ask why you have a Pichu?" she asked, leaning over and turning the doorknob, pushing the door ajar with her paw. I slipped into the office, setting Spark down and hovering over to the desk, which was empty. Ethan must have stepped out for one reason or another, but that was just fine.

"Long story short, the kit's missing his parents. A tragic tale of misery, I'm sure you sympathize," I answered. From the corner of my eye, I saw the Charmander's expression darken, but when I looked up, the expression was gone.

"Who you?" Spark asked the Charmander, his cheeks sparking worriedly.

"Ember."

"Such a blunt response," I noted, flicking my tail through the pile of reports on the desk, frowning. "Damn, I don't see it. Ahem, I mean 'darn, I don't see it'."

"What are you looking for?" Ember asked.

"Some sort of report. Electra thinks a Rocket-owned Onix had something to do with the missing parents, and I just want to find it. Then I can track down the Rocket involved and reunite the family. Sound good?"

"Going through a lot of trouble, aren't you?" Ember asked.

"And yet, you didn't complain about my efforts when I upgraded your room."

"Well, no..."

"Then don't complain about my misguided wish to return a kit to his parents."

"Me want Mommy and Daddy," Spark whined quietly. Ember and I looked over at the kit and I sighed.

"Yeah, I'm trying," I told him. "And Ember's going to help."

"Wha-?"

"Won't you?" I asked, giving Ember a serious look. Her intended protest never left her throat and she sighed in defeat, nodding.

"Yay!" Spark said, volatile sparks shooting from his cheeks. He yelped in pain, prompting both of us to stare at him as he burst into tears.

"You owe me for this," Ember muttered.


	5. Searching For Answers

The three of us soon left Ethan's office, once I had confirmed that the files on his desk had nothing that could benefit our search. Onix didn't seem like common Pokémon among Rocket ranks, so I expected information on an Onix user to jump out at me. Then again, if the suspicion of a Rocket scout being involved was accurate, he or she may not have filled out the report or other paperwork and instead have just given some sort of verbal rundown of the gathered information.

Although Spark had protested returning to my coils, I insisted he do so. Having an overcurious kit wandering the halls, even with supervision, could lead to more chaos and issues than I was willing to put up with for the day. Ember seemed unnecessarily nervous around Spark, which gave me all the more reason not to allow him to pester her. The Charmander was renowned around the base for having somewhat of a short fuse, although she usually handled herself well.

"Any ideas where Ethan might be?" I asked Ember. She blinked at me blankly. "Well, he's not in the office, as you just saw, but maybe you've seen him around."

"Dragonair, I've seen him like four times in my life," Ember reminded me in a deadpan. "So even if I saw him, what makes you think I recognized and took note of him?"

"Hm, touché."

We fell into a mutual silence for a few minutes, as I considered where Ethan may have gone. He usually had someone else bring him his caffeinated beverages, and I've never been so bored as to willingly spend my day with him when I could be out and about in the base, so my knowledge of his usual hangouts was limited. Within my coils, Spark whined a little in protest to having his movements locked, but I ignored it. I had my reasons for denying him free reign of these corridors. Every so often, the three of us passed by a few stray Rockets. The wandering Pokémon were becoming more and more scarce the further we ventured.

"Hey, you!" I said abruptly, tapping a passing human with my tail. He jerked in alarm, bumping into the wall and nearly falling over. I snickered. "Have you seen Ethan?"

"Wha-? N-no, I haven't," the Rocket said, staring at me with an expression of great alarm.

"No idea where he goes? None?"

"I don't know," the grunt said. "The cafeteria? Labs?"

"Ooh, good leads," I admitted. "Thanks, I might put in a good word for you." I floated past the human, chuckling to myself. "It would require me knowing who you are, though."

"I'm confused," Ember said, once she had caught up to me.

"A depressing state of being. I do hope that can be taken care of," I answered. Ember rolled her eyes. "What's the problem?

"How did he understand what you were saying?" she asked, jerking a paw in the direction the human had gone. I chuckled, earning a perplexed look from the fire lizard.

"See this collar?" I asked, tilting my head back to give her an unobscured view of the metal wreath. Ember nodded slowly and I returned to my natural position. "Translation collar of some sort. Lets me communicate with humans so that they can understand me."

"Don't those already exist?" Ember asked, squinting towards the collar. I twitched my tail dismissively and continued down the hallway, navigating towards the elevator I knew would take us down to the labs. I haven't been there in recent memory, but I knew how to get there, and knew they had been working on this collar, according to Ethan.

I'm fairly certain such a device has been thought of before, and possibly utilized in some regions of the world, so either Team Rocket stole the design, improved the design, or are pathetically behind on technological improvements to their arsenal. Assuming that they improved it may be giving them too much credit. I'm having a bit of trouble determining what use such a collar would have among the Rocket ranks. It wasn't a weapon and not many Pokémon even needed to communicate with humans. I considered that it could have a financial application, by selling them to people who kept Pokémon as pets, but the revenue from that venture would be in competition with existing companies or products. Maybe I should add that to the list of questions I had for Ethan.

I tapped my tail against the silver elevator button, the twin doors sliding open with a faint ding. Spark squealed from my coils and I squeezed myself onto the lift, coiling up in the corner, giving Ember enough room to join us if she wanted to. The Charmander hesitated before tentatively stepping inside, bracing herself as if expecting the cables to snap under her weight, her eyes scanning the interior surprisingly spacious elevator.

"Dragonair aren't very heavy, we're well within the weight limit, Ember," I reassured her. She didn't look particularly convinced, but she was already inside and the doors were sliding shut. "Never figured you as claustrophobic," I mused.

"That's because I'm not," Ember muttered, wrapping her tail around to her front, her eyes fixed upon the flame at the end, the fire reflecting in her blue eyes. Glancing back at Spark, I saw that the Pichu was staring at the floor indicator light, which currently informed us we had reached the sub-basement level, B2. With a ding, the doors slid open again and the three of us got off.

"Been here before?" I asked. Ember didn't answer, which I chose to interpret as a negative. "Conversations are a lot easier to hold when you actually reply, Ember." Despite this, I didn't press the issue. "Hello?" I called, my voice echoing down the cement corridor. I sighed. "Is it too much to ask to have a welcoming committee when I visit the labs?"

"Me go!" Spark whined suddenly, slapping my scales with a paw. Unluckily for him, a Dragonair's scales are more than capable of withstanding such a blow. Hell, if he hadn't complained right before hitting me, I wouldn't even have noticed he had tried anything.

"Ember, watch him," I said, releasing the electric mouse from my coils. "I'll just pop into the lab, get the info, and come back."

Ember started to protest, but I had already moved past her and around the corridor. The Rockets have no taste in decoration. The walls and floor were all drab, gray concrete, without a sign, picture, or anything to draw one's eye and distract them from the fact that the corridor was long and boring. Thankfully, I only had to tolerate it for about a hundred yards before arriving at a steel door, conveniently left ajar. I made sure to check it this time before pushing it open with my head. Even if Ember wasn't available to see it, knocking my head against a second door in less than fifteen minutes was not high on my to-do list, particularly if the second door was made of durable steel.

I entered into a massive, white-tiled room. On every wall of the room were screens. Computer screens, video screens, projector screens, window screens...I'm not sure why; they're not attached to windows. Humans scurried along busily, carrying papers, clipboards, file folders, and so on. Others still manned desks in the corners, furiously scribbling down information and data. None of them found it remotely odd that a Dragonair had just entered their workspace.

"Don't feel pressured to halt your work progress on my account," I said to no one in particular, weaving my way through the mess towards a door on the far end, labeled 'Director'. I can only assume the director in question is the project director, and since there was a second label marked 'Do Not Disturb', I'm going to take a gamble that the projector director was in a meeting.

Ignoring the sign, I rapped on the door with my tail as a sign of courtesy, and then proceeded to barge into the office. That would have gone better if the door handle wasn't nearly impossible for my tail to grip, and the only thing I accomplished was reintroducing my face to a wooden door. Thank Celebi that the humans were so deep into their labor not to notice...except the guy who was now laughing his tail off.

I frowned at him. "Hey, this is how I start all my mornings! You eat a bowl of Wheaties; I slam my face into doors."

I coiled my tail around the door handle and turned, tugging with my tail and moving to slip inside. Unfortunately, the turn was met with a clicking sound, the door didn't budge, and my nose revisited wood.

One Hyper Beam later, I was inside the office.

"Don't lock your doors," I grumbled to the terrified secretary, gliding past her into the Director's meeting room. "Ah, Ethan, just the man I wanted to see!" I said, adopting a cheery, but blatantly insincere tone, doing my best to cover up the telltale signs of exhaustion after using Hyper Beam. He swiveled in his chair to stare past me towards the wrecked door.

"Did you Hyper Beam another door?" he demanded.

"Great to see you, too. Now, I had a quick question for you," I said, waving my tail dismissively. He makes it sound like this was a regular routine. "So you know the scouts sent before the mission? Who among them controls an Onix?"

"Dragonair, this isn't a good time for Trivial Pursuit," Ethan sighed. "I'm in an important meeting."

"Then I'll patiently stare at the back of your head until your meeting's done. Carry on," I responded, coiling up comfortably and staring at the back of the executive's head.

I returned to Ember and Spark five minutes later. "I love negotiating."


	6. The Journey Begins

"So how did it go?" Ember asked, once the three of us had returned to the main floor. She and Spark were trailing a few feet behind me, the Pichu clinging to Ember's waist, stumbling along as he tried to keep up with her strides. The Charmander was either indifferent or oblivious to this, all but refusing to alter her pace for the Pichu's benefit.

"It's just as I told you. I love negotiating," I answered, flashing her a smug grin. If the information Ethan provided held true, then it wouldn't be long before I could pass the electric rodent back to its parents. If not, then...well, I don't have an alternate course of action at this time. Maybe I could drop the kit off at a daycare center. There's supposedly one south of Cerulean, and it'd be less of a jerk move than leaving him to die in the wild or whatever.

Ember gave me a nonplussed look. "I know what you told me, but it doesn't answer a thing." That's where she's wrong. If she took a few moments to remember that I went to the lab for information, came back with a statement about the benefits of negotiation, and then started off in a direction, it didn't take much of a leap of logic to assume things went well. Of course, I knew she was looking for specific information, which was why I was denying her specific information.

"Ember, when have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?"

"Every day for the last four years of my life, why?" she answered. I chuckled at the promptness of her reply. I had almost forgotten what a sharp tongue she has sometimes. That's what I liked about her. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind.

"How would you like to go on a trip?"

Ember narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What kind of trip?" she asked.

"I was thinking along the lines of an all-expenses paid vacation cruise equipped with gourmet chefs and masseuses," I said. "How does that sound?"

"Too good to be true," the Charmander sighed, her eyes looking downwards. Spark looked up at her, as if aware of her shift in mood. Hardly surprising, considering he was right beside her.

"No need to get so down, love," I said, patting her shoulder with the tip of my tail.

"I'm not down," she argued with a hint of an impatient growl. "What kind of trip?" she repeated, this time emphasizing a serious tone. "I want to know how long it'll take."

I chuckled and shook my head. "I didn't realize your time was so swamped. It's a quick run down to the Cerulean base. That's what, a half-day each way, depending on pace? You're the one who complains I don't spend much time with you."

Ember frowned. "I know that, but..."

"But what?" I interrupted. "Do you need to get someone to set the VCR or something? You need to get out more if you're worried about what will happen to Evangeline and Brian's relationship in the upcoming episode of _Love and Deception_. It's clichéd and I can tell you what happens. Brian's been cheating on Evangeline with her clone, so he's not even aware of it, but Jackson knows the truth because he set the whole thing up, and he's going to tell Evangeline about it right after she gets into argument with Brian, so that he can console her and steal her for himself, as part of an elaborate revenge scheme against Brian, who once short-tipped him at a bar."

Ember had only one thing to say to that. "HUH?"

"Like I said, clichéd and predictable."

As the three of us exited the building, I set my direction north, towards Cerulean City. It was at this time that Spark pried himself away from Ember and trailed closer to me. I shot him a look, hoping to Celebi that he wouldn't run off somewhere. I didn't feel like carrying him in my coils the whole way there and it would be a fairly long trip. Sure, I'd be willing to oblige if he got tired or something, but so long as he stayed close, there was no need to do this.

"Hey, Spark," I called, drawing the Pichu's attention. "Stay close to me or Ember, okay?"

"Okay!" Spark chirped, running over to Ember and then running back towards me, sparks shooting from his cheeks in his evident excitement. "Me run fast!" he said, in response to Ember's irritated glance.

She sighed. "Hey, Dragonair?"

"Don't you dare ask if we're there yet," I warned. The Charmander rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't going to. I was just wondering whether you got it cleared for us to leave," she said. I tilted my head at her. We weren't even a half-mile out of Vermillion and she was already fretting about protocol.

"Does it really matter?"

"I don't know. Does it?" Ember replied.

"Well Ember, I asked Ethan directly about the scout with an Onix and he told me he's stationed at the Cerulean base. If he doesn't expect me to follow up on that and GO there, then he's naive as hell."

"Well, you're fine," Ember shot back, becoming annoyed for no apparent reason. "You've always had free reign to go wherever you want. What about me?"

"How many Rockets do you expect to not only realize you're gone, but be upset that you're gone, in the time you'll actually be gone? No offense, of course."

Ember scowled. "So you don't think there'll be any problems with me leaving with you?"

"Let's see...there won't be problems with me leaving...and you'll be with me...and you'll come back with me...nope, can't fathom a logical instance of them being upset about it," I mused. "Really, love; you're a little too worried about nothing."

"Maybe," Ember sighed, not looking particularly convinced. Well, at least she dropped the subject. Odds were good that, even if the Rockets were peculiarly irked about her disappearance, the mere fact she was with me should be sufficient for them to get over it. There were plenty of examples of me getting my way by whatever means necessary, whether permitted or just tolerated. With this translation collar, I could tell them to stuff their problems, instead of miming threats or throwing a Hyper Beam into someone's face.

"Where we go?" Spark asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between us. Oh joy, how to explain my objective and destination to a kit that had been with us the entire time?

"We're going to find your parents, if we can," I told him. No need to give him false hope, it would only make things worse if something happened to complicate matters. A sudden realization burrowed its way into my mind. "What do your parents look like? What specie?"

"Huh?"

"Your parents," Ember supplied. "Your mom or dad? What do they look like?" She gave me a confused look. "You didn't know?"

"It didn't really occur to me to ask," I admitted in a hushed tone. "He didn't talk much."

"I never would have guessed. He didn't shut up the whole time you were gone," Ember grumbled. All the more reason why I left him with her, out of fear he'd be really talkative and distracting when I needed information.

"Me know!" Spark said happily, bouncing up and down on his feet and waving his paw crazily. "Mommy big and happy!"

"I...have no idea what to make of that," I said. "What do you mean, happy?"

"Mommy happy! She hug and be nice!"

"So she's a normal mom, that's not much to go on," I mused.

"Well, isn't that great for him?" Ember growled, gritting her teeth. What the hell snuffed her tail flame? Whatever had her so worried before must be taking its toll on her mood and patience. "Maybe ask for more specifics? Like whether they're Pikachu or Raichu or if he's a crossbred kit."

"I'll do that, thanks. Any advice for how to explain genetic relationships to a months-old kit?" I asked. Ember shrugged irritably. I must have just caught her on a bad day. With luck, she'll cheer up more on the way.

Once again, the group descended into an uncomfortable silence. Spark had forgotten all about his questions and was running about, picking up small pebbles from the ground and throwing them ahead, then running over to pick them up again and repeating this cycle. It had the benefit of distracting him while keeping him on the path, but as we approached a denser neck of the woods between the two cities, I made him stick closer to us. It was approaching late afternoon, and even with Ember's tail flame as a source of light, I was much warier being in forested areas as night approached.

"Me no scared!" Spark insisted when I told him to stay close. This was promptly reversed when a stick snapped under Ember's foot. The kit shot a foot into the air, clung to my tail, and wailed, "Me scared!"

"Halt," a voice spoke from within the trees. Spark whimpered, electricity flowing freely from his body. I twitched, the end of my tail more sensitive than the rest of my body. Ember stopped dead, frowning.

"Who's there?" she demanded, flexing her paws. From the shadows of the trees, a shape stirred, and a purple serpent slithered into view. It was a snake just like any other, a small rattle at the end of its tail and a yellow ring around its neck. An Ekans, a relatively common Pokémon among Rocket ranks, and well known for their aggression.

"A group of intrudersss," the Ekans hissed, observing us. Its gaze lingered upon Spark longer than was strictly necessary.

"This is a forest path, perfectly open to the public," I stated coolly, continuing forward.

"Ssso you think," the Ekans hissed from behind us, but I ignored it, gesturing urgently with my tail for Ember to follow. I wasn't worried about the snake, really, but with Spark and Ember in tow, two more vulnerable targets, I didn't feel like lingering much.

We didn't get far before the sounds of snake rattles echoed in the trees around us, coming from all directions. Spark burst into terrified tears and buried his face into my coils. Ember let out a low growl, and I saw her eyes scanning the bushes around us. Still, I kept going, blocking out the sounds of the rattles. Ekans used that sound to intimidate foes, and although it was clearly working for Spark, and making Ember tense, I was less intimidated. Those snakes wouldn't be keeping me from proceeding with my objective.

That's what I thought before a number of movements caught my attention. From every direction, Ekans swarmed the path, emerging from bushes or trees along the sides of the path, or dropping down from tree limbs above, we quickly found ourselves surrounded by no less than two dozen serpents.

"Going sssomewhere?" one of the Ekans mocked.

"Nope, just traveling in a particular direction with no set destination in mind, and following the path to the letter seemed too convenient for us, so we decided to cut through snake territory," I deadpanned.

"Sssuch a sssmart-tail," the Ekans hissed, exposing its fangs. Spark whimpered and hid his face again. "Let'sss ssseee how sssmart the tail isss when he'sss dead."

"Well, that just seems plain illogical. I don't keep my brain in my tail."

"Do you have to antagonize them?" Ember groaned, as several of the Ekans hissed, clearly unamused.

"Why not? They want to kill us, anyway," I reminded her, eyeing the nearest snakes.

"Prepare to perissssh..." the head snake hissed.

"Oh darn, I had made all my preparations towards living longer. That's going to set me back a few years," I sighed. "Stupid stock market."


	7. Battle With Snakes

**Unsatisfied with just being the inspiration behind _Drifting_, and being _the_ very first stepping stone towards TDW's conception, Master Xanat decided to create a fansite for my work. I guess you should feel free to check it out, if interested. I put the link on my profile. At the time being, the site is functional but not fully finished, but its full potential is sort of murky since we're essentially the only two who know about it.**

* * *

The circle of snakes slowly began to constrict around our little group, outnumbering us by no less than eight-to-one, and of them, only Ember and I were battle-capable. That changed the odds to at least a dozen-to-one. Wonderful.

At my side, Ember tensed, flexing her paws, unsheathing her claws in the process. Spark whined and clung to the Charmander's side, unknowingly exposing himself to the nearest Ekans behind Ember. The snake's yellow eyes fixed upon the Pichu, raising its head and baring its fangs to strike. Before I could respond, that snake lashed out at Spark. I needn't have worried, for Ember spun, upper cutting the snake's neck with her claws. The claws dug into the serpent's neck, breaking through the vulnerable scales. The Ekans' eyes widened in shock as blood seeped from the claw wounds, the eyes soon becoming blank and lifeless, the body falling limp moments later.

"Nice," I praised, wincing nevertheless. I've been on the receiving end of Ember's claws once or twice. It was not an experience I relished. Ember's nostrils flared for an instant as she withdrew her paw, eyeing the lingering blood with obvious distaste. The presumed lead Ekans gaped at her, lost for words.

"Ugh," Ember muttered, wiping her claws upon her scales, leaving a smear over the orange scales. She frowned at the fact, but turned her attention to the next closest snake, which was eyeing its fallen comrade apprehensively.

"Kill them!" the leader snake hissed, snapping out of its stunned stupor. "Sssink your fangsss into their throatssss!"

"You need to remind them how to kill someone?" I asked, raising my eye scale. The Ekans hissed angrily at me. "Just saying."

I slapped one Ekans aside with my tail, letting electricity flow through my body and discharging it from my horn, directing the bolt towards the next closest snake. It writhed on the ground with a pained hiss. I winced as a third Ekans latched onto my tail by its fangs, but dragon scales are far harder than they look, so the teeth didn't even break through. I slammed my tail onto the ground, breaking the fang out of the snake's mouth and stunning the snake in the process.

"He did say the throat, not the tail," I reminded the injured Ekans. "Learn to listen." I turned towards the leader Ekans. "I retract my statement. You really DO need to remind them. So hard to get good lackeys these days."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Ember duck under an Ekans' bite, swiping it across its underbelly with her claws. By this time, she had already dispatched of half a dozen snakes, most of them deeply wounded, rather than dead. At least the other Ekans had realized by now she was an actual threat and were keeping their distance. I, on the other tail, wasn't so lucky. No less than six of the remaining Ekans had focused their attentions on me. Not that this particularly concerned me. Ah, the best perk of being a dragon is probably the near invulnerability against weaker opponents. The fact I was being ganged up on simply meant they couldn't take me on even ground.

"Need help, Dragonair?" Ember asked, keeping a watchful eye on Spark, the rest of her attention on the snakes still around her. One of the injured snakes bit at her ankle, only to receive a kick to the face for its failed efforts.

"Nah, I've got this, love," I answered, charging more electricity through my horn and releasing it in a rippling wave. All the snakes struck by the lightning fell back, their bodies temporarily locked in place. "Who's next?" I asked, looking around. The snake leader's eyes narrowed towards Ember, its gaze flicking between us silently.

Ember shook her head at my remark, sidestepping the fangs of a striking Ekans and stabbing it in the back. Good to know her training continues to pay off in life and death scenarios. While my attention was diverted to the Charmander, I suddenly felt a splash of liquid upon my scales and turned my head towards the source, a strange black fluid trickling down my scales.

"What the...?" All at once, agony flooded my nerves. Nothing could have prepared me for the red-hot burning sensation, or the audible sizzling of my scales. This liquid was eating through my scales, seeping into the next layer and eating through that as quickly as the first. With each little layer, the pain intensified. It took all my willpower not to cry out, my eye twitching from the pain. I muttered several phrases under my breath that I hope Spark didn't hear, slowly lifting my head to glare at my assailant.

"Like that?" the head Ekans taunted, his yellow eyes fixed upon the smoking scales. "Ssserves you right for mocking the great Fang!"

"Either you speak in the third person or you worship an elongated tooth as your god," I panted, gritting my teeth against the lingering throbs of pain where the liquid had contacted me. The Ekans snickered, flicking his tongue towards me.

"You are insssolent," he hissed. "Too much for your own good."

"You attacked a DRAGON. You're WAY lower on the food chain than I am, so how do you justify calling me insolent?" I demanded.

"We outnumber you," Fang hissed smugly. At these words, the snakes that were keeping their distance all began to close in on Ember at the same time. Spark wailed, nervous sparks flying from his cheeks, his black eyes wide and fearful. Ember herself didn't flinch, her eyes focusing on each snake in turn, her claws flexing. The first snake struck at her, only to have the Charmander catch hold of its jaws and throw it to the side. As a second Ekans struck, she sidestepped, the snake overshooting its mark. A third struck at Spark instead, and Ember unceremoniously kicked the Pichu out of the way, bringing her claws forward and impaling the attacker upon them. She gagged a little, ruining the effect.

"They're not doing very well, are they?" I noted. I felt another splash of liquid upon my body, this time closer to my neck. My scales sizzled and this time I couldn't keep the cry from leaving my throat. Throbs of pain shot through my body, my nerves feeling like they were on fire. My tail writhed involuntarily, as if vainly trying to smother the pain in the dirt, despite the pain originating from my upper body. I cursed under my breath, bringing my eyes up to glare at the Ekans.

"Not ssso low on the food chain now, am I?" the Ekans taunted. Logic at its finest, and up there with other gems such as the belief that landing a punch on a Hitmonchan puts you on the similar fighting level to it, rather than remaining grossly outmatched.

"I think you got bumped up from beneath dirt to just above it," I mused. Fang's smirk faded in an instant and was replaced with a very ugly look.

"We'll sssee," he whispered. His eyes flicked towards Spark, who was cowering behind Ember as she fought off two Ekans at once. I could almost see the wheels turning in that snake's mind. Spark looked so exposed, both his and Ember's attention on the snakes in front of them, and not on Fang a short distance behind them. Before I could shout a warning or intervene, Fang darted forward and struck at Spark's exposed back.

At the same moment, Ember pivoted to the left and stabbed her claws into the face of an ambushing Ekans. Her tail knocked Spark off his feet when she turned, removing the Pichu from immediate harm. However, this did nothing to hinder Fang, who drove his fangs into her side instead of Spark's back. Time stood still, my eyes seeing several instant replays of the scene...Fang's teeth tearing past Ember's scales, blood spurting from the fresh wound. I could hear Ember's cry of shock and pain replaying itself over and over in my mind.

And then it was over. Ember whirled around and slashed the snake across his midsection, forcing him to release his bite and slither away from her. One of her paws pressed down hard upon the wound, yet she advanced upon the retreating snake, her free paw poised for another blow.

"Freeze her!" Fang snapped, a momentary look of panic appearing upon his face as Ember advanced, not slowed in the slightest by her injury. The nearest Ekans' eyes glowed red and Ember stopped in her tracks, a peculiar shudder running through her body. Fang hissed triumphantly, and that sound broke the shocked haze that had taken hold of my senses.

"GET BACK HERE!" I shouted, moving forward to pursue the retreating snake, but suddenly a nameless fear took hold of my senses, my body shuddering violently. Mean Look, I should have known. A technique that instills a fear so strong within the target they become powerless to leave the presence of the user. I looked back, glaring at the offending Ekans, even as it slithered away into the underbrush. "Cowardly bastard!" I shouted back at Fang, but I knew he was ignoring me, the sounds of the Ekans' rattles fading into the distance.

"Mean snake gone?" Spark asked hopefully.


	8. Aftermath

The last of the rattles disappeared into the forest, but the frustration and anger clenching my gut was much slower in vanishing. My eyes scanned the surroundings, hoping to find one snake had lingered to lead me to the hideout of the offending snake coward, but to no avail. Even as the paralysis faded from my body, I knew I wouldn't be able to follow. Damn it.

I turned to face Ember, who was still standing, her paw pressed against the wound, blood seeping from beneath her paw, try as she might to stem the bleeding. Her breathing was coming out a little harder, but aside from that, she was impressively calm. It made my mood brighten to see her so strong, even when injured. She rarely was one to give up a fight she cared about, and here I could see she was determined not to be beaten by the snakebite.

"You okay, love?" I asked, moving closer to the Charmander. Ember looked up at me, her teeth gritted in pain. "Here, let me take a quick look..." I began pushing her paw away from her injury, but she resisted. "Just a quick look, love," I insisted. "Make sure everything's okay."

"I'll be fine," Ember grunted, and swatted my tail with her free paw. "Don't touch it," she growled. Slowly, I withdrew my tail, watching her carefully. So far, she wasn't showing much reaction to getting bitten, and if she wasn't going to let me see the injury, then I couldn't reassure myself that the wound wasn't serious or at least that she wasn't poisoned.

"Mean snake gone?" Spark asked again, his cheeks releasing flurries of sparks. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, they're gone. Come on, let's get going before they come back," I said, casting a concerned glance towards Ember. "You know, you really should get that taken care of."

"It's just a scale wound," Ember grunted, leading the way down the path. She was limping subtly on the bitten side, and kept a paw pressed firmly against the injury. Despite her efforts to maintain an untroubled demeanor, I could tell that it was hurting her a hell of a lot more than she was letting on, and blood was still flowing from beneath her paw.

Spark stayed close to me for the duration of the forested walk. Every sound in the forest, from the rustling of leaves to the crack of a branch sent him into an anxious fit, only relieved when I patted him on the head. Ember's pace had yet to slow, and from my angle, it seemed the bleeding had finally tapered off, but her limping was worse than before.

"Hey, Ember?" I called. The Charmander glanced back at me. "Shouldn't you take a Pecha or something, just in case?"

"Do we HAVE a Pecha berry?" she retorted. "If you have one, I'll take one. If you don't...then I won't."

"Ooh! That sound cool!" Spark squealed.

"That it does, Spark," I told him. If anyone else had said that, I would have pointed out the concept of rhyming words in a sentence was hardly original enough to comment upon, but considering the kit was precisely that, a kit, I chose to tolerate it. No good could come from teasing him, anyway. Unfortunately, the walk had taken its toll on the Pichu's attention span, and he was constantly darting between me and Ember, finding her too unresponsive to talk to, and finding me more of a sponge for his words than anything else. Frankly, his style of speech was driving me up the wall. It wasn't that he was difficult to understand as much as it was grating to listen to after a sentence or two. Combined with his hyperactivity and he was a very unenjoyable social partner.

Not that Ember was much better in that regard. She was protesting medical examination so adamantly that I was beginning to pick up a distinct vibe of shame from the fire lizard. She refused to admit her injury hurt as much as I'm sure it did, entirely denied that she needed to rest, gave me glares when I pressed the subject, and had a sarcastic retort if I mentioned the possibility of venom. Now that enough time had passed, unless we had slow-acting venom on our tails, she was probably correct in arguing against poison. She didn't show any of the symptoms I was familiar with (except irritability, but that wasn't anything out of the ordinary), and her coordination seemed to still be on track.

"We there yet?" Spark asked suddenly. I frowned. No matter how many times I've seen the phrase used in books or movies or TV shows, I had come close to believing that children did not actually harass people with that phrase ad nauseum. Spark had proven me wrong in under twenty-four hours. I am not amused by the revelation.

"Not yet, but it shouldn't be too much longer at this pace," I answered, glancing at the sky. It was approaching late afternoon, and if there were no more delays or random snake assaults, we should arrive around sunset.

Of course, no sooner had this hope come to mind, Spark spotted something on the side of the path and took off. I cursed loudly and followed the blur of yellow through the trees. Thank Celebi the impulsive kit didn't go far, only over to a bush that, fortunately, was filled with berries. Spark seized one eagerly and began to nibble on it. A few nibbles in and he yelped and threw the berry aside, spitting out the fruit fragments in his mouth.

"That no taste good!" Spark whined, rushing over to a different bush, this one littered with bright pink berries. Unlike the Grepa berries, I'm fairly confident he'd like those.

"Ugh, why didn't you tell me you were stopping off for food?" Ember complained, catching up to the two of us.

"Blame him, he's the one who took off," I said, shaking my head. "You hungry, love?"

"A little. You know what I like," Ember said. I promptly turned and plucked a red berry with my tail and lobbed it towards her. She caught it with her free paw, gave it a look, and promptly tossed it over her shoulder with a deadpan "Ha-ha."

"You don't like Cheri berries?" I asked innocently. The Charmander, try as she might to appear unamused, was smiling faintly. "Oh wait, you DON'T like spicy foods. It's hard to remember because you said I know what you like, yet I only remember you emphasizing spiciness."

"The curse of not being a picky eater," Ember said, giving an exaggerated sigh, but by now she was smirking. "Now toss me something I'll actually want to eat."

"Be careful what you wish for, love. If you're not picky, that gives me a lot of options of unappetizing meals to prepare for you aside from spicy foods."

"Fine, throw me a Pecha," Ember sighed, rolling her eyes. I grinned and promptly obeyed. My lob caught Ember while she was unprepared, still in the middle of her eye roll, and the fruit splattered over her face with a satisfying sound. Spark burst into hysteric giggles, collapsing on the ground and rolling over, kicking his little legs. Ember and I both stared at him, the Charmander wiping the juice from her cheek. "I'll get my own food, thanks," she said, limping over to inspect the other bushes in the grove.

"Breathe, Spark," I warned, raising my eye scale incredulously at the kit, whose hysterical laughter had not diminished a bit. Tears were already flowing from his eyes and sparks leaped from his cheeks uncontrollably.

"Food hit her and..." Spark started to say, miming the berry splattering across his face before renewing his laughing. Okay, then. Ember and I hadn't found the incident hilarious, just amusing. Spark's persistent cackling was getting on my nerves, yet short of alarming him, which may just spark tears instead, I didn't have a method to stop him.

Several minutes later, by which time the Pichu had thankfully calmed down, Ember came back over to the two of us. "Are you ready to go?" she asked, tapping a foot impatiently. She was no longer clutching her side wound as much as before, and the bleeding had definitely stopped, but the slight limp remained.

"Did you take a Pecha?"

"Yes, I took a Pecha!" the Charmander snapped. "Can we get going now?"

"Anything you want, love," I chuckled. "Hey Spark, let's get going."

Spark raced over to me, bouncing on the soles of his feet excitedly. I shot another glance skywards. The break for food had been a delay, but not a serious one. However, in order to get to the Cerulean base by nightfall, we'd really need to pick up the pace. Ember seemed fully aware of this, for she once again took the lead and started off at a brisk pace.

Aside from Spark discovering enough vocabulary to ramble about how good the berries he had eaten were, we traveled in relative silence. Although the hyperactive motor mouth certainly doesn't qualify as 'relatively silent', no one else was talking. Most of my attention was focused on Ember's condition. I'm confident she's strong enough to make a full recovery, and in my opinion, she had gotten off pretty easily considering how many of the Ekans had tried to take a bite out of her. The fact she hadn't suffered from poisoning suggested to me that Fang hadn't used venom, he lacked venom, or he had been dislodged so quickly he hadn't managed to pump enough poison to do any real damage to her.

"We there yet?" Spark chirped.

"Ember, please tell me we're close," I sighed. The Charmander glanced over her shoulder with a smirk, the expression shifting to a wince when she pivoted her injured side.

"Maybe twenty minutes," she guessed. There's no way in hell she knows for a fact how much longer it'll be. It begs the question why I even asked her opinion in the first place.

"We there yet?" Spark asked again. Oh right, that's why. I did my best to distract his attention for the remainder of the walk, which took roughly an hour, judging by the rate of the darkening sky. On the way, Spark spotted multiple species of Pokémon and asked persistent questions about them. Ember noticeably picked up her pace when Spark asked why Pidgey have wings, while I attempted to answer questions I had never been bored enough to wonder on my own. It would have been refreshing had the questions not been so painfully idiotic and repetitive.

As our surroundings continued to darken, Ember's tail flame became like a beacon, guiding Spark and I along the path. Ember slowed her pace to a comfortable stroll, and Spark clung to her side like a moth to a flame. Go figure.

At last, I could see the outline of the base in the receding rays of the sun. The sight of the small building filled me with gentle warmth. As enjoyable as traveling could be on certain days, the company of the Pichu detracted significantly from the experience. The snake successfully biting Ember was because it had targeted Spark. Not that I blame the kit himself for that, or even anything unfortunate happening thus far, but his presence and speech were enormous irritations. The base we were coming upon was the reminder that, if all went well, I wouldn't have to drag him with me any longer.

I took the lead, floating over to the main entrance, ignoring the subtle security systems, ranging from motion detectors, alarms, and security cameras, although I did take care not to trigger the alarms themselves. The last thing I needed was for Spark to get alarmed (no pun intended) by the security system. Whether the Rockets here knew we were here was entirely irrelevant. They may not be expecting us, but that just made this all the more interesting.

It was too dark to really see the finer details of the building, but I've visited here often enough to have a clear picture of the green brick building. The door before us was a large door, which I knew was electronically locked and only accessible by entering the passcode on the numeric pad beside the door buzzer, or by using an ID card of some sort. Unfortunately, I could use neither.

"Now what do we do?" Ember asked, taking note of my expression. I smirked and pressed my tail against the buzzer.

_"Identification?"_ came the voice on the other end of the intercom. I smirked.

"Riddle me this. What's blue and white, thirteen feet long, and doubts this door can withstand a point-blank range Hyper Beam?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the intercom. At last I heard a buzzing sound and the door slid open to admit us. Ember stared at me in disbelief. "Are you sure they're letting us in and not going to meet us with a security team or something?"

"Oh, they're definitely going to meet us with a security team," I said, grinning. "Which is good, we don't have to wander the halls looking for what we want, we just demand to see things and they take us to them. Amazing what you can accomplish by applying yourself."


	9. The Labs

Just as predicted, a Rocket security team met us not far beyond the doors. Ember tensed up, but their attention was on me, not her. I smirked and waved my tail at the team's leader, a burly man named Robin Green. Unlike the four other members of the team, who each wore the typical grunt uniform, he was dressed in a snappy blue business suit, sans tie.

"Hey Robby, how's things?" I asked, savoring the look of shock upon Green's face. I must give him credit; he recovered his composure faster than the grunts with him.

"Good evening," he said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "I don't know how I can understand you, but in the event that you are able to be understood, perhaps you could illuminate the purpose of your visit."

"I missed you all," I answered with a smirk. Green raised an eyebrow. "Nah, just kidding. Ethan wanted me to inspect the proceedings here and let him know whether the directors and other such leaders are too incompetent for their high salaries. So let's start with a pop quiz!"

"A...pop quiz?" one of the grunts wondered aloud. Robin Green merely frowned, rubbing his chin with one hand.

"What about them?" he asked, pointing at Ember and Spark. "What are they doing here?" The Charmander growled at the dismissive tone, but I shot her a quick warning glare. Now was not the time to complain about how the higher up Rockets tended to consider her a non-entity. One of the other grunts tensed at the growl, earning a second glare from me.

"They're with me," I stated bluntly. "You're head of security here, correct?"

"That's right," Green said importantly.

"Riddle me this. If someone comes to the intercom and threatens whoever answers with a Dragonair's Hyper Beam, why did you let them in and summon a security force of a meager five, including the head of security?" I asked. "Sounds rather underwhelming, doesn't it?"

"The only Dragonair in our records is you. In addition, the security camera confirmed your specie," Green answered promptly. "Ethan is presently in Vermillion and you have been allowed to travel between bases in the past. We have been working on translation devices for some time. We had little reason to believe you posed a threat."

"Just wondering," I said lazily. Now to get back on track with the purpose of our visit. "Oh yes, and I need some information about a Mister Dominic Flores. He is stationed here, if I am not mistaken."

"You are correct," Green said, looking at me in surprise. "May I inquire as to what purpose you require information for?"

"You may, if you wish," I stated casually. There was a prolonged silence as Green and I looked at one another expectantly. "No? Okay, then I'd like to know where he is, for starters."

Green shook his head. "I don't know where anyone is at any particular moment," he admitted, withdrawing a phone device from within his suit jacket. "I can page Dr. Gravel to see if Mister Flores is working in his sector."

"You do that, I'll keep going," I said, floating past the security grunts, heading towards the rest of the corridor. No one attempted to stop me, and soon after, Ember and Spark followed, the Pichu clinging tightly to the Charmander's waist, sparks shooting from his cheeks sporadically.

"How does this fit with what you said before?" Ember asked. "The security team showing us where to go," she explained at my curious glance. "But you're leaving without them."

"We don't escorts, and I know you'd hate that, love."

Ember nodded distractedly, looking down at Spark. "Mind loosening your grip a little?" she asked, gently prying his paws from her. The Pichu whined a little, but complied, dashing over to me. I rolled my eyes and patted his head with my tail.

"This way," I said, turning a corner and moving down a more crowded hallway. Like at the Vermillion base, most of the grunts stepped out of my path quickly, even the ones that weren't directly in my path. My eyes scanned the faces of the grunts as I passed. Ethan had given me a base description of the one I was looking for, but so far none of these matched. I would probably be better off just checking in with his superior rather than applying guesswork.

At the end of the corridor, a pair of Rockets flanked the silver doors of the elevator. Above the door was a sign labeling the zone to be open only to authorized personnel. Evidently it's easier to enforce that security with a pair of humans, rather than a pass code or keycard system. Undeterred, I approached the elevator, smirking when the two Rockets tensed.

"Excuse me," I began, one of the Rockets jumping in surprise at hearing me. "Yes, hello Twitchy. I'd like to go beyond this point, but I'm not sure whether I'm authorized personnel. How do you check for this?"

"Uh..." the other began, glancing at Twitchy inquisitively. Twitchy shrugged, trying to regain his dignity.

"If you don't know, you should file an inquiry about why you're on guard duty if you don't know the procedures for checking personnel. Now, let the three of us pass, if you please."

"But you're not-"

"Prove it," I challenged. It helps that yes, I am authorized for the higher security sectors. Being the Pokémon of an executive has invaluable perks if I'm willing to utilize them. The two Rockets looked at each other uncertainly. Stifling a chuckle, I looked Twitchy directly in the eye. "Do you want to risk the wrath of a dragon Pokémon, either politically or physically?"

Turns out, no, neither of them did.

It was somewhat cramped inside the elevator, which was noticeably smaller than the one at the Vermillion base, but I'm overall not surprised. Higher security elevators were made smaller specifically so large groups couldn't get on in one trip, reducing the number of police or similar forces that could be used to assault the forbidden sections of our operations. Spark had climbed onto my tail, fitting himself snugly upon me. Ember was shoved into a corner and was less than thrilled about it. I hope her injury isn't being agitated, but like hell she'd make that clear if it was.

The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors slid open silently. I exited, casting a quick look around. Unlike the white tile of the upper floor, the floor was black tiled, and the walls were stone. Spark clung to my tail, giggling when he noticed he was hovering some three feet above the ground.

"Have you ever been here before?" Ember asked, her tone betraying apprehension as we moved down the passage. I shook my head.

"I usually don't visit the labs," I admitted. "Last time I did, they were experimenting with some weird radio waves. I got some weird reaction to them, like I was about to evolve or something." I shuddered. "The machine didn't live very long, I made sure of that. In exchange, I was banned from visiting that lab again."

"Opposed to evolving again?" Ember asked, sounding surprised. "Why's that?"

"Dragonite are weird. Dratini and Dragonair are serpentine, but when they evolve, they use wings to fly and have limbs. Not to mention the color scheme getting all weird. Orange is not my color," I answered. Ember nodded thoughtfully, reminding me of something we discussed once or twice in the past. "Didn't you once say you never wanted to evolve into a Charizard?"

Ember shuddered. "Definitely not."

"Why's that, again?" I asked.

Ember shrugged. "I don't want to evolve."

"At all? Or just into Charizard?"

Ember shrugged again and didn't respond. Seeing it pointless to press the issue, especially over such a minor detail, I turned my attention to the corridor, just as we reached the end of the hallway, emerging in a laboratory lobby of sorts. It was a spacious room, with several doors leading off to different lab sections, each door marked with a letter and number. White-clad men and women passed swiftly between the doors, none of them noticing us. How do you fail to notice a Dragonair in the middle in the room?

"We could pick a door at random or grab the attention of the next person," Ember suggested, crossing her arms.

"Feeling lucky?" I asked, gesturing the tip of my tail towards the dozen-odd doors arranged in a semi-circle around the room. "If so, take a shot."

"Me pick!" Spark whined. "Me want pick! Me pick!"

"Go for it," I told the kit. It doesn't really matter whether anyone chooses a door. My point was that picking a door at random didn't have good odds of finding the one we were looking for, especially when we didn't know exactly what we were looking for.

"Me want!" Spark shouted, pointing at the third door on the far left. Ember and I exchanged looks, the Charmander answering with a shrug.

"Okay, if you say so," I said, floating over to the door in question. "Should I knock, just go in, or blast the door open?" Without waiting for an answer, I extended my tail and pressed the handle down, Spark pushing on the wooden door fruitlessly. "Yeah, that's not going to work, Spark."

"But me want!" Spark complained.

"It's a pull door, Spark," I tried to explain, shaking my head as Spark pushed harder. "The sad part is, I've seen adults do this too."

"And I've seen you slam your face into doors," Ember reminded me with a smirk. I frowned at her.

"Now that's just cruel, love."

"That's life," Ember retorted.

Rolling my eyes, I tugged on the door handle, nearly knocking Spark over in the process of opening the door. He looked at me with a proud look on his face.

"Me do stuff!" he chirped triumphantly.

"Yes, you did," I agreed. He was technically right, even if his 'stuff' didn't accomplish anything and was in fact counterproductive.

"YAY!" Spark squealed, sparks flying haphazardly from his cheeks, the electricity flowing swiftly down his body, prompting a pained squeal from the Pichu. Ember winced.

"Er...does he do that often?" she asked me.

"Heck if I know," I answered. "Let's ask his parents if we find them."

"Me want Mommy!" Spark whined, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Me want Daddy!"

"Don't we all?" I asked blandly, scooping up the electric rodent in my coils and slipping inside the room. Once inside, I stopped dead, my eyes widening in disbelief at the scene. "Uh...Ember?"

"Yeah?" the Charmander sighed from just outside the doorway, sounding irked. My hunch is that my coils were obstructing her vision and movement.

"What's the number for this room?"

"Uh..." There was a moment's pause, during which I heard Ember shifting to the side in order to read the door. "C-4. Why?"

"Because this room is stacked with explosives."

"Are you serious?" Ember demanded.

"No, but I wish I was. Come in here," I said, shifting my coils to the side to let the Charmander in, but keeping Spark's vision obstructed. He did not need to see what was inside this room. Ember squeezed through the doorway.

"What is..." she froze, seeing what I had seen. Lined up against all four walls of the room were dozens of steel cages, each with one or two Pokémon crammed inside, of varying species. "...it?" Ember finished, her mouth hanging open in stunned disbelief.

It wasn't just the presence that shocked us, or even the conditions of multiple Pokémon inhabiting too-small cages. What most troubled me were the conditions of the Pokémon themselves. Some of them looked thinner than rails; others looked horribly injured or burned, with no evidence of these afflictions being treated. Others still seemed to be nothing more than empty shells of living beings, their expressions hollow and sunken, like all life had faded from behind those eyes. And yet others seemed to be vibrant and even cheerful, and a number of them had brightened at the sight of us, their tails wagging and their eyes shining.

"What the hell is all this?" I wondered aloud.


	10. Explanations

I peered closer at the cages, setting Spark down and moving closer to each cage in turn, inspecting the conditions of the Pokémon inside. Several of them cringed, looking at me with fearful eyes. Others smiled and tried to move closer, pressing their faces against the metal bars of their cages to get a better look at me.

I frowned and looked back at Ember. "What do you think they do here?" I asked. Ember fidgeted and came further into the room, keeping her distance from the caged Pokémon, as if afraid to look at them.

"I don't know," she said finally. Spark didn't seem to be bothered by any of this, for he ran over to the nearest cheerful Pokémon, a Furret, I think, and began talking to it rapidly. I doubt the Pokémon could follow more than a few words, yet it chirped responses every so often. Well, that's one way to divert the kit's attention, yet it did nothing to alleive the sense of puzzlement and indignation that was working its way into my mind. Nothing here made sense. Why were some of the Pokémon well-fed and in good condition, while others were pitifully lacking in that department, and why were they all here, in this room, with no one monitoring them? It was completely against known laboratory procedures.

"Something I can help you with?" a voice inquired from the doorway. Spark yelped in fright, and Ember and I spun around, my eyes narrowing at the sight of a man in his fifties, dressed in a lab coat, his hands clasped behind his back with elegant self-importance. His graying hair was cut short, yet styled messily. At the scientist's side stood a boulder Pokémon, its body rough and graveled, four stone arms clasped in front of its form.

"Dr. Gravel, I presume," I said, my tone icy. The scientist merely smirked, either oblivious or indifferent to my tone.

"I received word you would be coming down," the man said, sweeping further into the room. "Had I known you'd go snooping around without instruction, I'd have been faster in coming to meet you." He chuckled in good humor. My mouth twitched into a half-smile.

"Explain the purpose of these Pokémon, paying special attention to their physical condition," I commanded. The Graveler at the man's side tensed, but the scientist was unperturbed.

"Certainly. The group on the far left of the wall is used to test a special ability amplifier, which is intended to increase their overall strength and bulk, thus producing more powerful specimens," the scientist said. "We then test the groups against ordinary Pokémon, the control group, if you will, to determine whether our formula has any side effects. That is the gist of it, anyway."

"And their condition?" I demanded, gesturing my tail forcefully towards a frightened Ivysaur. Dr. Gravel shook his head.

"Group A-1 had too many side effects. One of them is timidity, an overwhelming fear towards creatures its mind perceives to be a threat. The amplifier did succeed, but the most noteworthy side effect was enhanced states of panic."

"You didn't answer my question. Why is this Pokémon clearly not in good health?" I snapped. The Graveler took a few steps forward, eyeing me warily, yet I ignored it, hardening my gaze upon the scientist.

"A-1 specimens eat far too little. Many times, they have to be injected with nutrients or some form of supplement to keep them fit. Unfortunately, their enhanced bodies consume the nutrients far faster than we can produce them. A-1's practicality as test specimens has recently expired, since testing with the B formula."

"Oh wonderful, and how did that go?" I asked, my sarcastic tone soaring over the scientist's head. He straightened his lab coat importantly.

"An eighty-seven percent success rate. Side effects were limited to pre-emptive aggression, attacking to ensure no threat, rather than ascertaining a threat. That could be dumb animal instinct, however. Our psychology experts are torn in that regard."

"Such brilliant minds we have at our disposal," I sighed. "And the group that's disturbingly happy considering they're being locked in cages that are too small?"

Dr. Gravel glanced at the group in question and shrugged. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" I repeated. "Isn't your job to know this sort of thing, just in case someone inquires?"

"No, my job is to test the formulas."

I raised my eye scale. "So you think. By the authority vested in me by Ethan's Pokeball, your job is now to know why one group is too happy for their situation."

Dr. Gravel gave me a wry smile. "Very amusing."

"No, I'm serious."

The scientist shook his head dismissively. "I'm going to have to ignore such a frivolous command. Is there something else you needed?"

I glared at the scientist. "I could also terminate your employment on a whim. In any case, I need a word with Dominic Flores."

"Is that right? What about?" Gravel asked.

I scoffed at the question. "Enlighten me how that is your concern."

Dr. Gravel delivered another tight smile. He was starting to remind me of a snake now, and my recent memory of snakes was not a good one. "You wish to speak to one of my employees without giving me notification for what purpose-"

"Spare me the self-righteous attitude. I want information regarding his last scouting mission," I said, waving my tail impatiently. "Do you know whether he brought anything back?"

There was a brief silence, during which I could practically see the wheels turning in the scientist's head. For a moment, his eyes flicked to Spark, who had resumed his chatty conversation with one of the caged Pokémon. The Graveler beside the man tensed again, as if sensing something in the situation. I narrowed my eyes. This silence was dragging on longer than was necessary.

"Anything back?" Dr. Gravel repeated finally. "What do you mean by that?"

"I want to know..." I said, pronouncing each word slowly. "Whether he brought anything back from the scouting mission, including but not limited to Pokémon not with him when he left."

"So what if he did?" the scientist challenged softly, his snake-smile returning. "The mark of a good employee is one who goes above and beyond what is expected of him."

"And you wonder why I wanted to speak directly to him," I muttered. "If he did capture other Pokémon, that is all fine and good and he can get payment for them, but depending on what type of Pokémon, I may be required to confiscate them."

The scientist chuckled. "Oh, let me guess. A Raichu pair, one of each gender?"

"Mommy and Daddy?" Spark squealed, focusing upon us again. Ember and I exchanged momentary glances. The Graveler, the only one of the two Rockets that could understand the kit, chuckled in a coarse voice.

"Oh, so you know what I'm looking for?" I asked, closing some of the distance between myself and the scientist. "Then you should know what I'm going to request now."

"Denied."

"Excuse me, I must have misheard you, because I could have sworn you just refused the unspoken order from your superior, yet you seem to be a man of intellect and should know not to do that. So do excuse my hearing error, it should not happen again."

"Denied," Dr. Gravel repeated.

"Hm, this is really quite strange because it just occurred twice in a row," I mused. I tapped the side of my head, around the feathered wing on my head. "Once more, please."

"Denied. We will not be turning over the captured Pokémon to you. They have been properly captured and are owned and registered to Mister Flores," Gravel said coolly. "He has generously donated them to the labs for further research and testing. They are now owned by me, and I deny your claim to them. Good day, Dragonair."

"Funny story, Dr. Gravel," I said, chuckling and moving even closer to the scientist, whose smile did not falter. The Graveler's eyes narrowed at me. "You see, I am a superior to both you and Mr. Flores, and he did not officially register his new Pokémon with our office, which is common procedure when taking part in a job assigned by our office, he is in violation of standard procedure."

"Spare me the technicalities, Dragonair. As a Pokémon yourself, you have no weight in such matters as Pokémon ownership, and Ethan will find this case too irrelevant to overrule our claim himself. What little impact you have to the organization will not aid you in your pathetically misguided wishes."

"Funny story," I began again, this time fighting to keep an impassive expression, or even one of mild amusement. I was failing immensely, judging by the Graveler's death glare. "My alleged little impact nevertheless strikes at vital areas for critical damage. I can easily manipulate Ethan's interest to override your claim."

"By that time, the experimentations will be complete," Gravel pointed out. "Wasting valuable time, money, and resources. And I'm sure you think you have a case when your objective is releasing the captured Pokémon? Don't make me laugh."

"Good advice, but here's something better," I said, losing patience entirely. "Obey the wishes of the Hyper Beam-happy Dragonair!"

"No."

"Fine," I said, slamming my tail against the scientist's head. He really should have seen that coming, but it was clear the Graveler had. A mere second after the blow, I felt the boulder Pokémon slam into my gut, knocking the wind out of me and forcing me to recoil with a grunt. The Graveler landed to my left, curling itself into a ball and propelling itself through the air towards me. I swiftly twisted to the side, letting icy energy accumulate into my horn and launching a concentrated beam of pale-white energy, tendrils of mist coming off of the beam. The Graveler, rolled up the way it was, couldn't see the Ice Beam until it was upon him. It didn't make a sound as the beam collided with its body, ice and moisture seeped into its rocky pores.

From behind me, I heard the scientist's voice, no doubt speaking into a radio phone or other device. "This is Gravel. We have a Code Violet in regards to Dragonair."

Code Violet? Which one was that again? Oh right...Ally turned rogue. I had been hoping for a Code Green at the most. Just my luck.

**Okay, ten chapters into the reboot. Thoughts? Comments?**


	11. Seeking the Raichu

Alarm bells went off in my head at the scientist's words. Code Violet was one of the most serious security phrases, and not one that was tolerated to be thrown about lightly. For this reason, it was never used in jest or out of spite. A very serious offense awaited the one who called in false alarm, and so Dr. Gravel's report would be taken completely seriously. Celebi damn it; that gave me only a few minutes to prepare before the security teams would come in. Code Violet's procedure was very straightforward: Apprehend the rogue by any means necessary.

"Time to go!" I shouted to Ember, shoving the scientist aside with my tail. Ember gaped, hurrying after me, Spark at her heels. The Pichu had a very confused, yet hopeful, expression on his face and that look made me hesitate. "What about his parents? We have a good indication they're here..."

"Are you insane?" Ember demanded. "You're minutes away from having half the base after your tail! And that's if you're lucky!"

"Don't remind me," I grunted, selecting a door at random and pushing it open. "Nope, not that one," I muttered, realizing it was a restroom of some sort. That's probably why it was labeled with a 'B'. "They need a better labeling system," I grumbled, feeling surprisingly calm despite the panic ringing in my head.

"Ever consider that sometimes you need to take the logical approach of getting out while you can?" Ember demanded. I can't understand what she's so worried about. Gravel didn't call in an alarm for her. Guilt by association was a horrible leap of logic, so she was probably safe. "Mew damn it, what are you doing?" Ember snapped, noticing I wasn't heading for an exit, but for another of the labeled doors.

"I need to find them," I said stubbornly. "I'm a dragon; I can bowl through the Rockets if they go after me." I didn't bother pointing out that although Robin Green had arrived with only a security team of five including him, he personally had a Pokémon more than capable of standing up to me, and any security team worth its salt would have Pokémon capable of giving me a hard time. Ember clearly wasn't buying my response.

"If I get shipped off somewhere for this, so help me, Mew, I will shove my claws up-"

"The kit does NOT need to hear that!" I said loudly. "Door L-2! Let's try there!" Without waiting for a response, I shoved the door open with my tail, wincing as the door slammed against the wall. "Get in and close the door! The number of doors around here should slow them down!"

"So would leaving," Ember muttered bitterly, she and Spark slipping into the room. Several scientists and assistants were staring in our direction, looking more bewildered than afraid or aggressive, leading me to believe they didn't know about the Code Violet yet.

"Oh, don't mind us. We're looking for two Raichu, previously held by Dominic Flores. Any knowledge?" I asked, moving over to one of the men, who stared at me with a flabbergasted expression. I should probably get used to the strange looks now. Humans were simply too unused to hearing a Pokémon speak coherently and with better language skills than most of them have.

"Er..." one of them began, adjusting his glasses nervously. Dragon Pokémon demanding information tends to have that effect on people. "Yes, but..."

"But what?" I prompted, gesturing for him to continue impatiently.

"They're not here. They're in L-1," the man said. I frowned. What the hell is with their room naming conventions? I have no idea what the number corresponds to, and wouldn't it get confusing to have multiple doors and rooms with the same lettering? I have to assume that, as an outsider, I don't grasp some subtlety that distinguishes the functions of one room from the other. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to inquire further.

Without a word, I turned around and hastened to return to the lobby room. It didn't take me long to locate the door labeled L-1, although it was inexplicably three doors away from L-2. I say it again: this numbering convention makes no sense.

I shook myself from those thoughts. It wouldn't be much longer before the security teams arrived, and I needed to make as much progress as I could towards the goal before being completely overwhelmed. Now that I think on it, the narrow elevator down here was probably hindering the security team as much as it was designed to hinder invaders. I smirked at the thought, pulling the door open with my tail and entering.

"Close the door-" I began, but Ember slammed it shut, prompting Spark to yelp and me to wince. "Not so loud!" I hissed. The Charmander glared at me, but didn't comment, so I instead turned my focus to the room we had entered. Unlike the previous room, this one was far busier and well-occupied. No less than a dozen men and women were spread throughout the room, examining various machines, computers, papers, or Pokémon. It was the fourth group that I focused, clearing my throat to get the attention of the woman I assumed was the head of that group. My assumption comes from her standing more out of the way of the trio of working scientists and interns, yet observing them like a Pidgeot.

The woman turned towards us, raising a raven eyebrow. Spark hid behind Ember, who showed no reaction to the movement. I grunted a word of greeting, prompting the woman's eyebrow to rise higher. That reaction to hearing me speak is probably never going to get old.

"We're looking for a pair of Raichu that should have been brought here earlier today. Anything ringing a bell?" At the end of my sentence, I was suddenly aware of an alarm bell ringing somewhere within the building, too faint for most to take notice of. Damn it, time was running out for me. If the entire base became alerted to a problem, rather than just the select security force, then the three of us were going to be in trouble. However, it's too late to back off now. Dr. Gravel had given me the implication that the sought-after Raichus would not be spared from whatever experiments they were performing here, and if I didn't get them out now...it might be too late to make a difference later.

The woman frowned at me with suspicion in her pale blue eyes. "May I ask what authority grants you the right to interrogate me or anyone else about such a matter?"

"Not at liberty to speak, I presume? Very well, I'm Dragonair, of the executive Ethan. Is that enough authority, or does it need to be backed up by someone higher up on the chain?" I asked. Ember fidgeted from behind me, no doubt aware of the alarms in the background. Poor girl. I know she's anxious when it comes to discipline concerns, but if all went well, unlikely as that was, then she wouldn't have anything to fear. Unfortunately, the rule of life is things never go well or as planned, and if they do, there's a complication further down the road.

The woman frowned again, but made no further challenges. She spoke quietly to one of the other humans, an aide or intern or whatever system this lab goes by, and then gestured for me to come with her. I made a similar gesture with my tail, directed towards the two Pokémon with me. Ember heaved a sigh and followed, casting a nervous glance over her shoulder towards the door we came from. I got the impression she truly expects to be overwhelmed in moments. I, however, planned on remaining calm. Panicking would not only look very suspicious to the people aware of us, but it will cloud my judgment and behavior, and I had no intention of looking the fool. Being used to some sort of pressure and needing to remain impassive during those times helped a lot.

We emerged in a stairwell and the woman began ascending the staircase, without as much as a backwards glance. Everything about her seemed focused on professionalism. She wore the typical white lab coat, carefully maintained and devoid of wrinkles and smudges. Her black hair was tied back in a professional bun.

"So..." I said slowly. "What's the deal with an upper floor? Or more specifically, of keeping Pokémon on a separate section of the building?"

"This area is for specimens that are still getting examined, whereas the lower floor is for active work. This way, specimens that are not yet approved for the research or practices will be kept separate from those who are. It keeps them out of the way and away from distractions," the woman responded in a clipped tone.

"Clever system. It makes a dragon like me proud to see that, despite your faults, you still know how to keep things separated from one another. Impressive feat, I must say. Now, could you increase our pace? We're in a bit of a hurry and don't wish to linger."

"Very well, _sir_," she answered, climbing the staircase swiftly yet with a professional attitude. I cast a glance back towards Spark and Ember, noting that the Charmander was beginning to show signs of drowsiness. This comes as little surprise. She had been walking quickly before, when still recovering from the snake's attack, and had probably not had any rest since this morning. Spark, on the other hand, seemed more excitable than ever before. A little more docile, perhaps, but otherwise the same.

At the top of the stairs, the scientist led us to another room, sliding a key card to open the door. I braced myself, unsure what I would find, or the condition of the Pokémon I was sure we would find. "Is this it?" I asked.

"It is, sir. The two Raichu are on the left. Is there something you needed involving them?"

"Their release to me. Pokeballs optional. They need to be transported from here. My apologies for the inconvenience," I stated smoothly. The scientist frowned slightly, yet offered no objection. I smirked and moved further into the room, gazing around until I found what I was looking for. A large cage with bars, containing two Raichu. Even from a glance, there was no denying that they were a couple. Spark's eyes widened at the sight of them.

"Mommy! Daddy! Me find!" he squealed, rushing over to the cage and squeezing between the bars with a surprising little difficulty, hugging the female Raichu tightly. The two electric Pokémon looked positively alarmed and joyous in the same instant. Despite myself, I experienced a sense of warmth from the sight, as Spark happily rambled to them at a speed too fast for me to follow, yet neither of them seemed to have any real difficulty in understanding him. I suppose knowing him like that for his entire life gave them an advantage.

"How touching," a voice spoke from behind us. A shiver ran down my spine as I slowly turned around to face a door on the other end of the room, a door I had overlooked earlier. Robin Green stood in that doorway, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He was alone, unescorted by any other security troops. I frowned. "I had a strong feeling you'd be coming this way," he said, his eyes focused upon the Pichu.

"Am I somehow predictable?" I asked blandly. "How could you, or anyone else, predict my motives for coming here?"

"What other reasons would there be?" Green asked with a sneer. "It makes no difference, however. Give yourself up. A rogue is not something we are unable to curb."

"Gravel's a rotten liar. I'm not a rogue," I scoffed.

"Code Violet is not something called for minor offenses-"

"Which is why it's perfect for petty vengeance," I answered coldly. "I will be leaving with the two Raichu, and there is little that can or will stop that."

"If you try without authorization, it is considered theft and will be responded to accordingly," Green warned. "Resisting while in the midst of Code Violet will cement your status as a rogue, and you will be forever labeled as a traitor."

"I am still Ethan's Pokémon and count as an executive, thus granting me the authorization!" I snapped. Robin Green shook his head, smirking.

"We cannot, in good conscience, allow you to have authority while under suspicion of betrayal. A Code Violet must be cleared before we permit such action."

"So unless I'm cleared, I don't have the authority to remove the Raichu from here, but I'm only being labeled as a traitor because I attempted to use said authority to remove the Raichu from here? You're an idiot."

"Hostility towards me will not help your case. Turn yourself in without resistance or else you will further draw yourself into the label you're attempting to shed."

"Funny story, Robby," I began. Ember groaned loudly, but I ignored her. "I'm going to be removing them from here ANYWAY, because you don't have authority over me and therefore can't decide whether or not I'm a rogue without evidence. It's just Gravel's word." I allowed myself a smug smirk, suddenly pleased I hadn't attacked him with a Hyper Beam.

"Unfortunately, it's only your word that it's only his word," Robin Green said. He raised a Pokeball in his hand. "Your continued hostility is of grave concern." He threw the ball forward, the ball cracking open and releasing a beam of white light.

The light struck the ground and formed a large silhouette, roughly six feet in height. The light faded away, revealing a large, bipedal orange lizard. A massive flame burned from its tail and the wings on its back stretched as the Charizard roared, eyeing me with malice.

Green smirked proudly. "You will surrender or be taken in by force."

"Well, that's more like it," I laughed, making a 'come on' gesture with my tail. "Show me what you've got, then."

"You are an IDIOT!" Ember growled.


	12. Rogue Dragonair!

The Charizard responded to the challenge much quicker than I anticipated, charging forward before I could so much as prepare a counterattack. It shoved its weight against me, slamming me forcefully against the wall. I grunted, my scales taking the brunt of the blow, but even with the acid damage from a few hours previously, they held strong. The fire dragon, as lizard fails to truly surmise what I am up against, drew back one large paw, its claws glinting menacingly in the light of its tail flame. I twisted my neck to the sides, chunks of cement breaking from the wall when the Charizard struck at me. In the fraction of a moment provided to me, I slipped out of the Charizard's grasp, reading a Thunderbolt from my horn.

The Charizard reacted in a flash, backhanding me with its paw and throwing off my aim. The arc of electricity shattered a tile from the ceiling, the falling plaster bouncing off the fire type's head harmlessly. I drew further backwards, trying to create some sort of distance to recuperate from my earlier disadvantage, but doing so provided an opening for the Charizard to exhale a massive stream of fire from its jaw. I ducked my head, and the Charizard soared forward, slamming its paws down upon my head and knocking me to the ground. I twisted my body out of range of being stepped upon, this time launching a pale beam of white frosty energy in the fire type's direction.

It was too quick for me, for even in the confined quarters of the room, it maneuvered out of the way of my Ice Beam and retaliated with another jet of flames. I cringed from the heat of the fire, relieved that it had not been a point-blank range shot; else I'd probably be charred to a crisp. My strategy here wasn't working, and I wouldn't dare try a Hyper Beam in this situation, although that technique alone had the capabilities of beating this foe in one shot. I'd have to try something else, something unexpected and crafty. Green had trained this thing to overwhelm most common foes, even ones that would ordinarily be a match for it. Speed and power were this thing's strengths.

From all around me, Pokémon specimens were waking up in their cages and watching the battle with wide eyes. I circled around the room, trying to keep as much distance between me and the Charizard as possible, yet couldn't help but feel this situation was not in my favor. I was not a close-range combatant like Ember was; instead using primarily distance strategies to attend to the majority of my opponents, so this cramped arena was certainly to the advantage of my opponent, whose style was mixed distance. With my size, going too close was suicide. Strong as my scales were, they could not take much abuse from that Charizard's-

Searing pain shot down my front, yet I gritted my teeth to keep from crying out. The Charizard had taken my moment of analysis to move closer and strike, and even as I fought to regain my composure, it seized me and shoved me roughly against the wall, holding me in place.

"Well done, Charizard," Robin Green laughed, stepping forward and applauding in a mocking fashion. "And that was the Pokémon of one of our executives?" he asked, a sneer forming on his lips. "Rogue or not, you've been apprehended."

"Quit the bragging," I hissed, glaring daggers at him. From the corner of my eye, I saw Ember watching me with an apprehensive expression. With all of Green's attention upon me, I made a subtle gesture to the Charmander with my tail, pointing first at her, then at the cage holding Spark and the Raichu, then at the door. She frowned, following the pointing of my tail, yet showed no signs of objecting.

"...I'm certain to receive a promotion for all my efforts," Green mused, evidently having chosen to ignore my advice that he shouldn't brag. The Charizard's eyes were glaring at me from mere inches from my face, giving me a front-row seat to smell its horrible breath. Ugh, take a mint or something. Fire-users often have their breaths smell of something burning, mixed with remnants of what they've eaten recently. On a hunch, the Charizard had eaten some sort of prey animal, because the smell was overwhelmingly putrid. Celebi, it took all my strength not to vomit, although that wasn't the worst idea of how to get him to release his grip on my neck.

"Mind turning your face away? Your breath reeks," I complained, finding myself unable to turn my head enough to evade the stench myself. The Charizard exhaled, bombarding my sense of smell with the putrid odor. I gagged, tears coming to my eyes from the force of the smell. The Charizard laughed and repeated the exhalation. "You're not funny," I choked out, starting to feel queasy.

"Neither are you," the Charizard retorted, jabbing me with one claw. "Smart-mouth dragon, lording over other Pokémon like you're king of the world. You make me sick. Always have."

"Please don't go into a motive rant. You're apprehending an alleged rogue on orders from your human trainer, not turning vigilante for some misguided motive," I stated blandly. The Charizard snorted, sending another murderous blast of his breath into my face.

"Maybe I can tear you apart...stop charging your Hyper Beam!" he growled, pressing his claws into my neck. I obeyed promptly. What do I have to gain from refusing? I was in no position to either disobey the command or try to get a shot off. "Yeah...not so tough are you, huh?" the Charizard taunted.

Robin Green approached, taking a strangely colored Pokeball from within his suit. What else does he carry in there? I eyed the ball with genuine apprehension. I hate Pokeballs, always have, and if that was a superior model to the one Ethan used, then I'd probably be trapped in that for an uncomfortably long time, assuming I was even released. I don't know the procedure for curbing alleged rogues. Would there be some sort of trial? Unlikely, considering Team Rocket just wasn't the type to hold trials for Pokémon.

"What's the procedure, Robby?" I asked, hoping to forestall the capture as long as I could, yet doing what I could to keep my voice as calm and normal as possible. "Do I get a lawyer or something, or can I get a pardon from someone?"

Green laughed. "No, nothing like that. You're simply...taken care of."

"Not very specific is that?" I mused. "Certainly there's some type of rehabilitation? I mean really, I've been in the organization for four years and counting, and to throw that all away over the word of a disgruntled employee and some inadvertent provocation is hardly justifiable to pursue a more severe alternative."

The comment prompted Green to falter. "I believe you're correct," he said slowly. "In any case, you are to be detained and a report filed before further action is taken."

"Ah, darn that paperwork," I lamented. "Shouldn't a crime organization have dispensed with such trivialities? Then we could deal with this so much quicker and more effectively." Not that I expect the paperwork portion to be particularly difficult, but then it would have to be reviewed and verified and for all sorts for arrangements to be made...especially considering we're talking about me, a dragon Pokémon with about four years of loyal service. How exactly did this whole thing happen? Ugh, if Gravel wasn't such an obnoxious and stubborn idiot, I could have just gotten those Raichu and gotten out of here. Instead, I get treated to treason charges and the prospect of an indefinite stay inside a Pokeball, in addition to whatever results from the incident. Wonderful, just wonderful.

Green did not answer. Either he had nothing to say or he realized I was stalling, because he lobbed the Pokeball he was holding at me. Unable to turn my head due to the Charizard's death grip, all I could do was slap the Charizard's leg with my tail. I didn't expect it to work, but the sudden blow prompted a twitch from the large reptile and his wing struck the Pokeball by mistake, knocking it off course. The sphere hit the wall several feet from my head and bounced across the ground in the opposite direction.

The Charizard's eyes followed the Pokeball's movements, and I seized this opportunity of distraction. Even without a full charge to it, my Hyper Beam could still pack a wallop at point-blank range. My horn glinted with an orange light, snapping the Charizard's attention back to me, just in time to receive a dense orange beam to the face. His paws lost their grip as he instinctively recoiled, the force of the beam knocking him several yards backwards. I twisted away from the wall and focused on Green.

"Pride of the organization, that one," I noted, gesturing to the Charizard. Green froze in place, and without losing sight of the irony, I released circular waves of electricity from the orb at my neck, the electricity passing through the human and locking his motor functions. Green flinched upon the electricity's contact, and the resulting imbalance brought him to the ground with a thud. Hm, attacking the human was definitely not going to help my case. Oh well.

"You-!" the Charizard's voice behind me alerted me to the danger of its strike, and I darted my body to the left, pivoting to face the assailant, and releasing a second wave of electricity at the Charizard. The fire dragon roared in protest as the electricity struck him in the back, spreading its paralyzing waves through him. Like Robin Green, he crashed to the ground, sending a brief tremor through the room.

"I'm so screwed," I sighed. There was now next to no chance I was going to escape the allegations of betrayal. Green was high enough in the chain that his word meant a great deal, and even if attacking Gravel couldn't be proved, it would be much harder to shake this one off. I looked over at the cage the three electric types had occupied, feeling a brief surge of pleasure that it was empty. Ember must have gotten the message after all, good to know. Unfortunately, I hadn't the foggiest idea which of the two doors they left through. Since Green had been standing by the far door the entire time, the odds of four Pokémon passing through unnoticed was unlikely. However, by this time, security teams should have swarmed the lower level, and while Ember and the 'chus could probably get by, I would certainly not be that fortunate. Code Violet was in regards to me, not them.

That said, I chose the door Green had arrived from. That was my best shot of getting out, and I wouldn't have to take the exceptionally vulnerable elevator to get back to the main floor. Like the door to the labs, I found myself at the foot of a winding staircase. Now, any normal Pokémon would have to walk up the multiple flights, but I, being a gravity-defying dragon, could simply fly straight up, and access the door at the very top of the stairs. Good thing that the Rockets didn't spare the concrete to make a castle-style winding staircase.

I opened the door a crack, peering through the thin line of lighting. Seeing no one right outside the door, I pushed the door open further with my head and slipped through the door. The alarm ringing was much louder now, to the point of cringe-inducing. I looked up and down the corridor, frowning. Where the hell was the exit? I couldn't just fly off without finding Ember and the 'chus, either. Well, I could, but I shouldn't. If I left and they got trapped behind, they would more or less serve as bait for me to come back in, and I definitely could not leave Ember in that sort of situation. She was only in this because I had wanted to reunite Spark with his parents.

"This place needs a map," I grumbled, going down one of the hallways, keeping alert for sounds of footsteps or talking. Anything to forewarn the approach of Rockets. If I was lucky, I could bluff past some of the grunts, but the security was sure to be impossible to trick in that manner. I was hoping the majority of them had gone to the floors below, and with me absent from all the rooms, they'd be unsure how to proceed without word from Green. I smirked. And with Green out of commission, that could set them back just long enough for us to reunite and get out of here.

Now…where the hell were they?


	13. Getting Out?

The emptiness of these corridors gave me the impression I was in a higher clearance zone. Under normal circumstances, Rockets, both active and casual, would be walking through the halls. It varied day to day, but very rarely had I ever noticed a prolonged absence of Rockets wandering. The alarms were fainter in this area, but still audible, which perplexed me. Green had accessed the lab areas from this section of the base, and he was the head of security, so why would the alarms be quieter within a high security zone? If there ever were intruders or police invading, wouldn't it be much more practical to alert everyone, so that they could cease their activities and prepare for evacuation or defense?

However, there wasn't any sense in dwelling on those concerns when I still hadn't found Ember and the 'chus. I had originally planned for Ember to free the Raichu and then get a head start on getting out while Green and his Charizard were distracted by me. How successful they had been, I had no idea, and without anything to go on, I had two options available: To get out on my own and hope they were also successful, or find them and get us all out in one go. The risk was that even if I found them, the time elapsed could cost me my chances.

I peered around a corner, ducking back when I spotted a flash of a black uniform. So this base wasn't entirely deserted; good to know. Judging by the shout of surprise, my peeking hadn't gone unnoticed. Wonderful, getting spotted at this stage of my escape was just what I needed. I floated out from around the corner, doing my best to keep an unconcerned expression. I had enough experience with altering my expression to unnerve someone or ease suspicions, so it wasn't anything out of the ordinary from how I normally acted.

"Good evening," I said, smirking at the grunt. The man stopped in his tracks. Okay, this collar was getting a little too much mileage out of it. I would have liked to savor the reactions of the people I come across, but so far, everyone had almost an identical reaction, and it became annoying. Despite this, I pressed on. "What's the deal with the alarm going off? Is this a drill, or do you know what it's for?"

The man scratched his head with a blank expression. "The alarms?"

"The blaring noise in the background, rather piercing to the auditory senses, and generally indicative of danger or a situation warranting attention," I explained, raising my eye scale incredulously. It would be too pathetic for words if he had been oblivious to what alarms were.

The man frowned, unamused, but this expression boosted my mood a notch. So, this Rocket didn't know the alarms were for me. "I know what alarms are," he stated defensively.

"Glad to hear it. Doesn't an alarm going off remotely trouble you?" I asked, applying a disapproving note to my tone. If he didn't know the alarms were for me, what did he think they were for?

The man shrugged. "We've had false alarms and drills, and I'm not on duty to attend to things like that. That's for the security team."

"And what if those alarms were warning for evacuation?"

The man smiled slightly before replying, "That alarm is completely different, so that anyone hearing it would know immediately what it's for." Huh, he's got me there. I wasn't familiar with every base's alarm codes and procedures.

"Well, if you're not busy, I have an assignment for you," I said. "No need to frown; it's nothing too difficult. Even you should be able to adequately serve my needs."

"What kind of assignment are we talking about?" the Rocket asked slowly, giving me an apprehensive look. I'm impressed he didn't question my authority or something irritating like that. How many Dragonair were in Rocket employ? Yeah, didn't think it would take too long for someone to guess whose side I'm on. Ironically, I'm considered a rogue now.

"Like I said, nothing too difficult, in case that reassurance bypassed you the first time. What I need for you to do is to help me locate a few Pokémon in this base. They've gotten separated from me," I said, keeping my tone pleasant, but authoritative. Experience and genuine authority had taught me that if you act like you have power, very few without it will ever question you.

"Which Pokémon?"

"For starters, the female Charmander, Ember," I said. With luck, I wouldn't need to mention the Raichu or Spark. They weren't Rocket Pokémon, so that could get uncomfortable, especially after taking into consideration that Dr. Gravel had been so keen to keep them from being removed. I doubted this Rocket knew that fact, but I felt it best to maintain the illusion of the duty being low-key.

"Oh," the man grunted. "Her."

"You know her specifically?" I asked, taken aback. Ember wasn't nearly as well-known among the humans, or even among the Pokémon, as I was. Granted, being an executive's Pokémon and one of the precious few dragons in their employ helped immensely, but that didn't stop a random grunt knowing Ember from catching me by surprise.

The grunt chuckled, and slid up the sleeve of his uniform, showing me three long marks upon his left arm. "She gave me these."

"Ooh, you're her first trainer, aren't you?" I asked, grinning. Now I remembered this guy. "You turned her over to Ethan because she was 'too rebellious', if I recall."

"She never did what I told her to," the Rocket replied with a shrug. "I'm surprised she's still around." I ignored the dismissiveness of the statement, although my tail twitched with subtle irritability. Almost every Rocket that had Ember assigned to them had felt the same way, and it came to the point where it had been debated whether keeping her in our employ could serve any future benefit.

"Well, she is. And you're going to help me locate her," I said, delivering a prod to the Rocket's back. Without any objection, he started down the hall at a brisk pace, with me floating after him. If all had gone well, Ember, Spark, and the Raichu should have gotten to the upper floors. Ember knew the way she and I had come in, but I couldn't rely on nothing going perfectly, and approaching the elevator to the labs could easily result in capture if the Rockets had any sense of security. A failure to blockade or guard the elevator would never be acceptable procedure at the Vermillion base, least of all with me normally stationed there, so I assumed a similar policy was invoked here.

"Where were you last?" the Rocket asked, looking back at me. "With the Charmander?"

"The hallway by the elevator going down to the labs," I lied. "Tell you what, I'll check by the entrance, and if you could take a look over by the elevator, that'd be terrific. If you find her, bring her to the entrance. Just mention I sent you and there shouldn't be any problems, okay?"

"And if I don't find her?" he inquired.

"I'm guessing you don't have clearance to go DOWN the elevator?" I guessed. He shook his head. "Damn. I'm worried she might have tried to sneak down. Oh, tell the guards that Green approved it. His authorization overrides mine here."

"Did he approve it?" the man asked, looking at me uneasily. I smirked.

"His security phrase is 'Turtle Doves', let that do the answering," I said. All doubts cast aside, my lackey changed direction and went down a separate hallway, which I assumed would lead him to the lab elevator. With that in mind, I shifted direction as well. However, I went in a different direction, angling my approach towards the other end of the building, where the entrance would be. I sincerely doubted Green's security keyword was 'Turtle Doves', but the phrase sounded strange enough for even an intelligent guard to assume it was legitimate if delivered by someone who was confident that it would work. Bluffing, the lost art.

I passed several more Rockets on my way to the entrance, but none of them reacted strangely to my approach, again suggesting that they were oblivious to the Code Violet, despite the alarms. Grunts must be tragically under informed about security concerns. Communication, the lost art. I'd complain more if it wasn't so advantageous. Sure, I received a few odd looks, but nothing out of the ordinary.

To my chagrin, I found several Rockets waiting in the entranceway. Many of them tensed when they spotted me, one or two of them developing triumphant grins. Judging by these reactions, it was clear that not all of the men on the upper levels were oblivious to the Code Violet. More likely Green left them behind specifically to ensure I didn't leave unhindered. Within moments, the small group had moved to obstruct my path, taking Pokeballs from their belts.

"Is there a peaceful resolution we could take?" I asked, molding my tone to sound unconcerned. Outnumbered as I may be, I was still a dragon Pokémon and a very capable battler. "It would save us a great deal of pain if you didn't betray me. Not to mention saving your jobs and freedom. Don't forget, Rockets whose employments are terminated tend to stay that way."

"Betray _you_?" laughed one of the Rockets. "You're the one labeled as a rogue!"

"The one labeling me as such is a disgruntled employee," I argued. "A delusional old fool who views me as a threat to his ego. If I were human, no such claim would have been made. This is nothing more than discrimination, and I remain an executive's Pokémon with the appropriate authority and privileges. I now invoke the aforementioned authority and order you to move aside and let me leave in peace."

"Our orders come from Mr. Green," retorted the Rocket.

"I override those orders on the grounds that I'm being set up," I countered. "Robby may just be doing his job by making an arrest before investigation, but I have no intention of playing along with a conspiracy until the truth comes out."

Uncomfortable muttering broke out among the humans and they cast one another uncertain looks. I moved forward, testing their commitment to engaging me. If they stepped aside, then my words had reduced their confidence and I could pressure them to accept my story. If not, then the opposite was true, but I still could pressure them to step aside.

My movement predictably prompted the humans to tense up, and two of them in the rear of the group prepared to throw their Pokeballs. "Relax," I chided, frowning at them. "I think I already established that, despite what you have been led to believe, I am not a rogue."

I didn't expect any of them to relax, and therefore was unsurprised when none of them did. We just stared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move. I could try zapping them all with a Thunder Wave, the same way I did to Robin Green, but without Ember, Spark, and the Raichu in tow, to act so rashly would be to cement my alleged status as a traitor and to jeopardize their chances of getting out of here unhindered.

"Mission Log, twenty hundred hours. Negotiations seem to be going poorly as my adversaries pursue their futile dreams of hindering my progress. They have been deemed hostile, but our interactions have advanced to a momentary standstill. Their fingers twitch in anticipation, inching ever closer to their weapons, like wild beasts preparing to feast upon the flesh of their fallen brethren. I do not know how much longer the uneasy peace will last. They may be plotting to ambush at any moment, yet they stand there, taunting me with their silence."

My monologue was met with bewildered looks mingled with expressions of amusement. More than one of the Rockets covered their mouths with the back of their hands to hide their smirks. The sound of footsteps approaching from behind me drew my focus, just in time to see the recruited Rocket step into the entranceway, followed by a _very_ suspicious Charmander and, to my relief, a trio of electric rodent Pokémon. Orange electricity was sparking from the male Raichu's cheeks, and the female was holding Spark in her arms protectively, but aside from that, they seemed happy enough.

"Well done," I said, smirking at the Rocket and gesturing for the other Pokémon to come over to me. Ember prodded the Raichu to get them moving first, but she didn't move. Her eyes were narrowed in the direction of the Rockets facing me, leaving no doubt in my mind that she knew precisely what was going on.

"Hold on there, what are they doing here?" one of the Rockets demanded, pointing a hand towards the Raichu. Both of them tensed, electricity flying from their cheeks. Spark whimpered, aware of the sudden tension.

"They are leaving with me. It was the reason I came here. I will be returning to Vermillion after this, and if you or Robby still have accusations about my alleged betrayal of the organization, then you can address them to Ethan or someone who cares," I shot back. The Rocket's gaze did not soften.

"I don't think so. Those Raichu are mine."

"Ah, Senor Flores, I presume?" I chuckled. "Well, Dr. Gravel seemed to have a very tight claim to them, enough to call this alarm on me for aiming to remove them from his labs. If you would like a formal receipt for payment, I'll be sure to-"

"No, they're not leaving," Dominic argued firmly. I blinked at him.

"I'm afraid that's not an option. I do have the authority to confiscate them, for they were not properly filed for with our office."

"Screw your technicalities! I'm not giving up my captures, least of all to some rogue Dragonair spouting nonsense!" the man snapped. He gestured to the humans with him, and all of them raised their Pokeballs. "They're not leaving, and if you try to take them, we'll bring you in as the rogue you are."

"I'm not a...oh, this is ridiculous!" I sputtered. "If you do not follow the appropriate procedures laid down in your contracts-"

"Spare me the babble, rogue. I'm sure the reward for capturing you will be plenty large, and then I can sell those Raichu, since everyone wants them so badly," Dominic interrupted, a greedy gleam in his eyes.

"Attacking me without valid reasoning, even if you succeed in defeating me, will result in the termination of your employment and possibly imprisonment. I can be a spiteful bastard when pressed," I snarled, not even trying to hide my frustration. This whole situation was spiraling out of control. Who the hell would have figured a mess like this would be caused over me trying to find two recently captured Raichu and reuniting their kit with them?

"Our reasoning?" Dominic laughed. "You're a traitor. Code Violeted. We bring you in, meaning we're following orders, and then we'll be rewarded. And I keep my Raichu."

"Why is it that everyone thinks that a Dragonair that loses patience with stubborn idiots is automatically betraying the organization he's been with loyally for four years, despite its flaws?" I sighed, my tail flicking in resignation. "Fine. If I'll be labeled as a rogue with severe consequences regardless of what I say or do, then maybe I should just resign and blast my way out of here. It's not like I'll be in less trouble one way or the other, but at least like this, I'll get a say in the matter."

"I'm not letting my Raichu out of here," Dominic said, hurling his Pokeball towards the electric types. "Onix, Bind them!"

The thrown Pokeball burst open, and a massive snake of rock formed from the enormous burst of light, roaring loud enough to shake the building's foundation. Good choice, bringing out a massive Pokémon within a cramped room. Spark wailed in terror and clung to his mother, only to squeal as she literally tossed him aside. At first, I was shocked by the gesture, but the next moment, the rock snake swept her and the male Raichu into its embrace, constricting them in coils of rock. Spark landed beside Ember and burst into tears, crying desperately for his 'mommy and daddy'.

My eye twitched. "Enough of this foolishness, Mr. Flores. Release the Raichu to me."

"You resigned. You have no authority now," Dominic sneered. He took two Pokeballs from his belt and pointed them towards the constricted electric types. "Return," he said, the one word containing more smugness than the entirety of Dr. Gravel's lecture. Red beams of light fired from the center of the spheres, and the Raichu dissolved upon contact, becoming absorbed smoothly into their containments. Spark, not realizing what Pokeballs were, burst into hysterical sobs, burying his face into Ember's side.

There was a deadly silence as Dominic regarded me, his smirk taunting me to act. With careful deliberation, he miniaturized the two Pokeballs and slipped them into his uniform pocket, patting the pocket contentedly for additional mocking.

"Now _that_, Mr. Flores...was a really stupid thing to do," I said, glaring daggers at the young man. I could knock him out and take his pants, to add some humiliation to a successful extraction. Get the Pokeballs and enjoy the thought of him regaining consciousness while pant-less.

"And why's that?" Dominic sneered. The Onix slammed its tail down upon my spine, hurling me down to the ground with a strange splat sound. My underbelly scales were less hardened to damage than the rest of my body, but even then it did little more than knock the wind out of me. That was more than enough, though, for a moment later, the rock snake coiled its body around me, making sure to rest a portion of its weight upon my back to keep me from raising my body off the ground.

Dominic laughed. "Looks like game, set, and match to me, Dragonair." With that, he stepped forward, circling around the Onix's body his footsteps made their way towards the corridors leading deeper into the base, taking with him the Pokeballs containing Spark's parents.

What I didn't expect was for the young man to suddenly cry out, or for the sounds of a scuffle to occur behind me. With the Onix pinning me down, I had no chance of seeing what was happening, but a moment later I heard a thud and a yelp from Ember, followed immediately by running footsteps that soon receded down the hall.

"What the...?" I began, stopping short when the Onix around my body dissolved into red light and disappeared. I lifted my head, turning to see Ember holding the Onix's Pokeball, her eyes watering in pain as her free paw clutched her lower stomach. Through it all, she wore a slight grin.

"You're welcome," she muttered. I nodded, turning my focus to the remaining humans, all of which looked rather alarmed by the turn of events.

"Now, I'm an _extremely_ pissed off dragon. Want a piece of me?" I growled.

Turned out that, no, none of them did.


	14. End of Mission Discussion

"Are we far enough now?" Ember growled, stopping and turning to face me. Night had fallen since we left the Rocket base, but I had insisted we get as far away from the base as possible before they reorganized their forces for possible pursuit. The darkness had served as a fabulous cover, but the only source of light available was the Charmander's tail flame, and I was rapidly gaining the impression that she was exhausted.

"I think it'll do," I said, looking back the way we had come. There was no reliable method of checking the time of day after sunset without a clock, at least until sunrise, so all the time had blended together, leaving me none of the wiser of how long we had been traveling. Ember groaned in relief and walked off the path, her flickering flame acting as a beacon to follow. I cast a quick glance towards the Pichu nestled in my coils, taking note that he was sleeping. About time he fell asleep. Ever since we left the base, he had been crying or sniffling about one thing or another. Not that I could really blame him; he had come some close to being reunited with his parents, only to have them torn away from him once again. The burden of failure hung over my head, but I had more pressing concerns to focus upon than my disastrous attempt to retrieve his parents.

For a mission that had seemed simple on the surface, it had sure escalated in no time at all. At the day's start, I had gone through my life's routine, but by the time of sunset, I had been branded a traitor and was on the run from the organization I still supported. Meanwhile, Dr. Gravel was deriving some sick pleasure at besting me, and Dominic Flores had kept hold of the Raichu. Now I didn't know what to do. So many options flitted through my brain, yet none of them seemed practical or worth pursuing.

Ember stopped walking and flopped down on the grass, reclining against a tree and closing her eyes. Her tail curled around to her stomach and I noticed that the flame's strength was dwindling down, a sure indication that she was powering down for the night. I stretched out on the grass beside her and coiled up, double checking to make sure I didn't accidently constrict too tightly around the sleeping Pichu.

"Hey Ember?" I called, hoping to get her attention before she fell asleep. The Charmander cracked one eye open to look at me, grunting in acknowledgement. She certainly sounded weary, and like with Spark, I couldn't blame her. She was adamant in her training schedule, and I knew she had a great deal of stamina, but at the same time, I doubted she was used to so much activity within a single day. First there was whatever training she did that morning. When she met up with me before, she had shown the signs of bathing recently, so I'm positive she had gotten some training in. Afterwards, she walked a respectable distance, did a lot of work against the snakes, only to get bitten and press on regardless, and then run all over the base, plus the walk we had just gone on. If she wasn't tired, then she wasn't a creature of flesh.

"What?" Ember asked finally, betraying her irritation in her tone. I shook my head, realizing I had gotten distracted.

"Oh, sorry. I wanted to ask you what you're planning to do after this."

"What do you mean?" the Charmander asked, stifling a yawn.

"What are you doing tomorrow morning?" I prompted. "Are you heading back to Vermillion or what do you think?"

Ember opened her other eye and gave me a strange look. "What are you talking about? What are you doing?"

"I'm not sure yet," I admitted. "The evidence is really stacked against me, and I don't know if I even can go back for a while."

Ember snorted. "What, so you're not returning?"

"I'm not sure," I said again. "If I don't go back, things could get worse. I could end up being hunted, or my prolonged absence could confirm the suspicions that I've gone rogue. At the same time, I shouldn't be forced to leave just because of some mixture of misunderstandings and genuine provocation. I still want to help Spark get his parents back, but this attempt went awry."

"So why the hell are you asking me?" Ember grumbled, stifling another yawn. I dismissed her irritation as sleepiness and continued.

"You aren't being marked as a rogue or a traitor. What's your plan?"

"Are you going back?" Ember asked.

"I don't know; why is that relevant?"

Ember rolled her eyes. "There is no way in hell I'm going back alone."

"Hm?" I raised an eye scale. "Why do you say that?"

Ember heaved a sigh. "Remember when I asked whether you thought there would be a problem with the two of us leaving Vermillion?" I nodded slowly, not sure what she was getting at. "Well, there's a problem now! I can't show up again, when you're under suspicion for being a turncoat, and they might know I was with you! I mean, one of my old trainers was there, for Mew's sake!"

"You think they'll take it out on you?"

Ember scowled. "I'm worthless to them, remember? I'm too uncooperative to work with their trainers, too moody or whatever, and I'm only still around because of you."

"Hm?" I blinked, genuinely surprised. "What makes you say that, love?"

"Don't play dumb," Ember grunted. I winced, even though she didn't continue that line of thought. "I'm known to be associated with you, anyway. Everyone knows that. I show up again, and who knows what'll happen to me then? I'm not going back without you."

"I really didn't plan for you to get involved like this."

"Well, I'm involved whether you meant me to be or not," the Charmander growled. "And what are you going to do about him?" she jabbed her claw in the direction of Spark. I heaved a sigh.

"I'm not sure yet. Going back to that base would be stupid. They'll be prepared for that. Dominic won't want to give up his prizes without payment, so they might be safe from whatever experiments Gravel had planned for them, but I can't rely on that for long," I mused. "So I can't take a direct approach to steal them back, nor can I stall."

"What about base transfers?" Ember asked, closing her eyes again. I blinked at her.

"Base transfers?" I repeated, but the Charmander didn't answer, her chest moving up and down rhythmically. I frowned, resigning myself to picking up the discussion the following morning. What had she meant by a base transfer? Was there some sort of opening for a second attempt that I wasn't aware of? How would a base transfer assist me at all? The only use for a base transfer was to assign a Rocket from one base to work at another for a set period of time. Maybe she was suggesting that I arrange for Dominic to work at the Vermillion base, giving me a greater opportunity to approach him or his Pokémon, but that wouldn't work. I was under suspicion for betrayal and therefore lacked the power and the time to arrange that. Ember wasn't stupid and she often had good ideas, so there had to be something else to the suggestion, something that I wasn't considering.

Nothing came to mind, and I eventually gave up on finding the answer tonight, in favor of getting some rest. One thing was certain; I wasn't giving up on my goal of reuniting Spark with his parents. My request had been a simple one, yet rather than accept the terms without complain, Gravel had more or less declared war upon me, and his Code Violet had complicated everything for me, Spark, and Ember. He had better mark my words: I wasn't finished with him or my mission. I'll get the Raichu back and get back in with the Rockets. And once my executive power is back in place, I'll be sure to repay him for his cooperation and loyalty.

* * *

The morning sunlight crept over the horizon, lingering at the edge and letting the early rays gently disturb the blissful sleep that had settled over our group. I stirred first, no surprise considering how used I was to waking up around early daylight whenever outside Ethan's Pokeball. The only benefit a Pokeball had to the real world was that the simulation never disrupted your rest. I lifted my head and gazed around blearily, perplexed by the unfamiliar location, but upon feeling Spark nestled within my coils, the memories came racing back to me. I had hoped the incident had just been a dream, but I suppose I just wasn't that lucky.

I stretched out, carefully depositing the Pichu next to Ember in order to stretch more freely. These two will probably be hungry when they wake up, so with that in mind, I set out to locate some fruit or some stray Pokémon. I personally couldn't stand meat aside from fish, but Ember was partial to it, and I didn't let our difference in taste come between us. She needed the protein for her training, and enjoyed fruit just as often, so it wasn't as if she was a bloodthirsty predator or anything like that. She rarely killed her own prey because she disliked the notion of spilling blood, although the irony of her specializing in claw combat never failed to amuse me. Even against those snakes, Pokémon aiming to seriously wound or even kill us, Ember had shown nothing but disgust for the bloodshed.

My stomach clenched at the memory of the snake attack, and I paused to take a deep, soothing breath. The memory was too vivid still, too painful and infuriating. That cowardly snake had bitten her and fled, its lackeys keeping me from pursuing. I would have loved to follow and settle the score, but at the time, it had been impossible, and a waste of effort to chase after him after the fact. Still...the memory burned within my mind like a glowing coal. Although it was pointless to dwell upon, I felt a seething desire to find that snake and smash his teeth into the ground.

I shook myself from these thoughts. Such things would do me no good, not with the reminder of what had resulted from my last loss of temper. Losing patience with Gravel had gained me a Code Violet, and the other times I lost patience worsened my chances of sweeping the former instance under the rug. The most logical thing to do was just forget about those snakes and continue my life, focusing on things of greater priority, like clearing up the Code Violet or recovering those Raichu.

All thoughts of food forgotten, I headed back to where Ember and Spark were, only mildly surprised to find that they were both awake. Judging by Ember's disgruntled expression, the Pichu had awakened first. "Good morning," I announced, once I was within earshot. Spark jumped in surprise, but then dashed over to me.

"Hi! Morning good! Me get Mommy and Daddy?" he asked, looking up at me with wide, hopeful eyes. A pang of guilt and embarrassment flared up within my gut at the expression.

"I'll try, Spark. No guarantees, though. Not today, anyway."

"Why?" Oh no. I was not getting dragged into this again. The walk to the base had been hard enough to endure his questions without starting one this early in the morning.

"Hey, Ember. What did you mean last night about base transfers?" I asked. Ember gave me a depressingly blank look. "Last night, we were talking, and you suggested a base transfer. I need you to be more specific."

"Base transfer?" Ember repeated, furrowing her brow. "Are you sure that's what I said?"

"I'm appropriately confident, yes. The problem is that I didn't follow your line of thought, which should explain why I'm asking you."

The Charmander shrugged. "I don't remember. I was really tired." She completed the statement with a yawn, as if to confirm her story. I was less than convinced.

"If it comes to you, let me know," I sighed. "Now what should we do?"

"Get Mommy and Daddy?" Spark whined. I winced and patted him on the head to placate him. He didn't understand. A child's mind could not comprehend the current complexity of the situation. All that mattered to him was the restoration of his comfort zone, and while I did not blame him for that desire, I don't know what I can do about it just yet.

Ember grunted. "I don't know. Why am I being asked to make a decision?"

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, why don't I just do everything and you just do whatever I tell you to do? Really, wasn't it attitudes like this that you rebelled against? My mistake for trying to keep you involved and happy, I can't imagine what I was thinking."

Ember frowned. "Oh forget it. I don't know what we should do."

"Ember, remember how I say you need to get out more?" I sighed. "This is your chance. I think we need to keep moving before the Rockets get their act together, but that doesn't mean we have to be traveling all the time. Heck, we could just stop somewhere and rest and work things out from there. We're not going to go back to that base unless we need to. Is there somewhere you ever wanted to visit for any reason?"

"No..." Ember said slowly. I groaned.

"You have the most depressingly uneventful life, love."

"Shut up," Ember snapped, glaring at me with such ferocity that I recoiled. In retrospect, it probably wasn't the best idea to bring that up. I moved closer to the Charmander and placed my tail around her shoulders.

"Didn't mean to offend," I said, patting her shoulder lightly. She didn't say anything, which was as good a sign as any. Spark whined after a minute, reminding me that he was there. I looked over at him, taking note that he was pouting.

"Me want food!" he complained. Ember's stomach growled at that moment and I chuckled.

"How convenient. All right, you two want to go food hunting with me, or do you prefer to stay here and have me do the work."

"You do!" Spark squealed, sparks flying from his cheeks. I stared at him. Ember chuckled.

"I guess I'll stay, too. You know what I like."

"I trust you can keep your eye on him, right?" I mused. It was better for Ember to stay behind if Spark wanted to stay where he was, but I can't say I had expected his answer. Ember nodded and I smiled. "All right, I'll be right back."


	15. Arc 2: New Enemy

**Ember POV**

I heaved a small sigh as Dragonair headed off somewhere to find food. He hadn't given me much hint how long it would take, just that he would 'be right back', which was a notoriously unreliable phrase. I guess it doesn't really matter. Unless he had trouble finding something, it probably wouldn't be more than five or ten minutes. I stood up and stretched my arms, flexing my claws to dispel any stiffness and testing for soreness. The fight yesterday probably hadn't taken much toll on my claws, but I always liked to be sure. It was better to know early whether I should take it easy, rather than right before or during a fight. It wasn't that I got into fights frequently, but between training and working off stress, I needed my claws at full capacity.

Spark watched me flex, his eyes wide with curiosity. The Pichu had taken a fast liking to me ever since Dragonair had gone to the labs back at Vermillion. Spending a few minutes alone with me must have been the reason behind it, but I couldn't imagine why he liked me so much. I've never been good with young Pokémon. The Rockets rarely had young recruits, and whenever there were younger Pokémon, they usually stuck around a trainer or a mentor and paid me no attention. I was just fine with that, although I did wonder about kits at times. What made them so happy? Spark, at least, seemed full of energy and almost perpetually excited, at least whenever there was no danger. For someone so close to his parents, he still seemed cheerful after having them taken away before his eyes. In a way, I pitied him. He loved his parents and they loved him, yet he couldn't be with them.

As for me, my situation was almost as bad as Dragonair's. Although he couldn't return to the Rockets, he was a dragon, and so was much more likely to survive in the wild until he figured out something to do. I wasn't so lucky in that regard. Sure, I could survive and I was strong, but my situation with the Rockets was worse off. Being associated with Dragonair while he was under suspicion meant that I was probably under suspicion as well, even if a lower priority or something. Just my luck. I go off with Dragonair on his urging, and I end up bitten by a snake and my life going to hell. Not that I can even bother complaining because Spark and Dragonair had _better_ things to complain about. I'd have to keep my misery to myself.

Not content with standing around, I paced in a circle, the movements letting my legs get some exercise, which helped dispel any lingering weariness. Spark watched me with the same wide, curious eyes, eventually getting up and mimicking my motions, although he walked at a much faster pace. He smiled at me, even when I frowned. I never trusted someone not to be making fun of me whenever they did the same thing I did. Dragonair was especially consistent about that, since he often mimicked someone as a prelude to telling them how absurd something they were doing either looked or sounded. Other Rocket Pokémon were not much kinder. On the contrary, they were usually worse. Dragonair at least softened his cutting remarks.

The Pichu soon giggled and ran over to the tree I had rested against the previous night, ducking behind the trunk. He peeked out every few seconds and giggled again. Mildly amused, I walked over to his hiding spot, just in time to hear him squeal and dash over to the next tree in a blur of yellow. Wow, he moved fast. I followed, this time aiming to be a little quieter in my approach. Spark peeked out from behind his cover, stifling a giggle whenever I appeared to be looking somewhere else. If there was one thing I learned from battle scenarios that could be applied to games, it was that appearing to be focusing on other things gave your opponent a false sense of security.

This worked to my advantage at first, but Spark eventually did notice I was closing in on his 'hiding spot' and raced over to a different tree. I made sure to keep an eye on him, just so that he wouldn't wander too far. Dragonair would give me hell if the kit got away from me. Speaking of which, he probably should have gotten back by now, yet I pushed that thought aside. I could play with Spark for a few more minutes to let him work off his excessive energy and get my own energy started. I normally did some sort of basic exercise in the morning, so this fit in with my usual routine. Once this was done, then we'd go back to see whether Dragonair had found anything. We hadn't gone too far from where we had spent the night, so I wasn't too worried.

That is, until Spark broke pattern entirely and dashed off towards a line of bushes, bursting through them and sending leaves upon the ground. My mouth dropped open for at least five seconds before it clicked for me to run after him. Oh, this was great. Play with the young Pichu and he'll randomly run off on you. I dimly recalled him doing that the other night as well, after the snake battle. My side ached at the memory, yet I followed the electric mouse as quickly as I could, my eyes peeled for any signs of him. Fortunately, I found him almost immediately at the base of a berry bush some distance away, happily plucking several of the small fruits and gobbling them greedily.

I sighed and walked over. "Spark...did you really have to run off like that?" I asked, once I was within earshot. His ears drooped guiltily, but his eyes shimmered cutely, distracting me from my irritation.

"Me sorry," he whined. "But me want food. Me find food so me eat food. You want?" His question caught me by surprise, and my stomach growled, reminding me that I was, in fact, hungry. Although Dragonair had gone off to find food, surely it couldn't hurt to have a few bites? Just to remedy the grumbling, anyway. I walked over to the bush and, after carefully inspecting the options, took a few of the more sour flavored ones. The sweeter pink ones often made me feel ill if I consumed too many of them, and I hated spicy food with a passion.

"That'll do. No need to keep..." I began, but Spark suddenly dashed off in another direction, glancing over his shoulder playfully. Resigning myself to leaving Dragonair confused longer in favor of not losing the kit, I followed. If I was lucky, Dragonair might not even have come back yet. When I caught up to the excitable Pichu, he was hiding within the leaves of a large bush. "Hey, come out of there," I said.

"You it," Spark reminded me, giggling playfully. I hesitated. In order to get to the Pichu, I'd have to reach into the bush itself and if I wasn't careful with my tail flame, I might accidentally set the shrubbery on fire and that...could get dangerous. Not so much to me, of course, but definitely to the young electric type. The kit giggled, prompting me to circle the bush, looking for an opening to catch him without risking my flame touching the leaves. Judging by the rustling of the leaves, Spark was pivoting to follow me with his eyes. The branches and leaves of the bush gave no indication of an opening, but he had to have gotten in there somehow.

"Oh, just come out, you win," I grumbled. Those seemed to be the magic words because Spark giggled triumphantly and bounced out of the bush, smiling at me. I rolled my eyes, but smiled in spite of myself. "Can we get back to Dragonair now?" I asked, my smile lingering.

"Okay!" Spark chirped. His ear twitched suddenly and he cocked his head to the side curiously. I blinked, stopping to try to hear what he had heard. At first, I couldn't hear a thing, but after a few moments, I caught the sound of faint voices, heading in our general direction. I shrugged. It probably wasn't anything to worry about; there were wild Pokémon living in the area. I was about to say so to Spark when a sudden concern jumped to mind. What if they were Rockets or associated Pokémon? While I wasn't necessarily under suspicion, I wasn't interested in having any conflict with Rockets now, least of all while separated from Dragonair, who was much better at explaining things and could actually communicate with the humans. His firepower and the respect others held for him would be pretty valuable, too.

"Over here, Spark," I said quickly, tugging him behind the cover of the bush he had been in. He squeaked in surprise, but fell silent when I shushed him. It may just be Pokémon passing by, but it could also be a trainer or a Rocket, and I rather be sure before letting them see us. I shushed Spark again when he was about to speak and, to my surprise, he fell silent, sparks nervously flying from his cheeks. The bush was too dense to see through with any clarity, but I could hear the sounds of someone approaching with a subtle slithering sound that sent a shiver down my spine. My tail flame flared up to counteract the chill, and I pulled my flame closer to myself, just in case the flickering caught the attention of the approaching creatures.

It abruptly occurred to me that, although I heard some sort of dragging rustle over the grass, it was not accompanied by the rattling of an Ekans' tail, like I had heard the other day. Even though the approaching Pokémon may not be one of the snakes, the realization did not lower my guard. I still preferred to stay hidden and see for myself than to be seen when not ready. I nudged Spark to the side, guiding him to circle around the bush as the rustling came closer, almost level with our location. By ducking around the other side of the bush, we kept out of sight and got a glimpse of the Pokémon.

To my surprise, I say a flash of yellow-green and a body shaped like a bell, with a pair of leaves adorning its sides like arms. I didn't get a long enough look to see how it moved, but its body was low enough to the ground for me to believe it was the source of the rustling. Spark tried to push past me for a better look, but I stopped him with a gentle paw. His curiosity could wait. We didn't need to get sidetracked by staring at some random plant Pokémon instead of heading back.

"Come on, let's go," I urged the Pichu in a whisper. I gently tugged on his paw and walked back in the direction we had come from, delivering light, but firm, tugs to his paw whenever he hesitated.

"But me want see!" Spark complained loudly. He tugged against my paw, his small paw slipping easily out from my grasp. I cursed under my breath as he took off after the plant Pokémon. I had little choice but to chase after him, all the while cursing my luck. The only consolation was that the Pokémon was probably not as dangerous as it could have been, like an Ekans or a Houndour or something. That didn't particularly offer much consolation. After five years with the Rockets, I had grasped quickly that any Pokémon species could hypothetically be employed by the criminal organization and trained to be dangerous; including the ones no one would expect to be used in such a way, such as Clefairy or Blissey.

By the time I caught up to the electric kit, he had followed the Weepinbell (I think that's what it was) to an isolated grove. I couldn't call it a clearing because it was crowded with bushes and trees, yet there were more open areas than a forest. Dragonair would probably know the term for it better than I would, considering how much time he spent explaining the subtle differences between words and annoying me whenever I misused a word or phrase. That said, he did that to everyone.

"Spark," I hissed, walking up behind the Pichu, who was curiously peering between two bushes. "You shouldn't run off like that."

He nodded vaguely and I stood beside him and followed his gaze in spite of myself. The bell-shape Pokémon had stopped moving and had positioned itself under the shade of the tree. Considering that it was sometime in the early morning, I'm not sure why it didn't sit in the sunnier spots of the tiny meadow.

I observed the plant Pokémon for about a minute before losing interest. I tugged on Spark's paw. "Come on, there's nothing to see. Let's just go."

"Me go near?" Spark asked hopefully. I hesitated, but shook my head. It may not be dangerous right now, but Spark could easily provoke it by accident and not all Pokémon were reluctant to attack kits. Fang and his stupid Ekans had proved that just the other night. Sure, I may have taken the blow instead, but that didn't excuse the fact an attempt had been made. The Pichu's ear's drooped at my answer.

I was about to urge the kit to follow me again when I caught the sound of rattling. The same eerie rattling from the other night, only not as loud, yet just as clear. Spark froze at the sound, his large ears twitching. Sparks began jumping from his cheeks with a soft crackling sound. An odd shiver ran down my back, similar to the one I experienced when I heard the Weepinbell, but more intense this time, and the feeling grew worse as an Ekans slithered into view, approaching from the opposite end of the opening.

"You're late."

The statement was delivered in a soft voice, scarcely above a whisper, yet resounded with such forceful clarity that I flinched. There was a subtle power to the words, and the very sound of the voice sent another shiver down my spine. Spark evidently felt a similar tremor, for he clung to me, inching closer to my tail flame for warmth.

"It could not be helped," the Ekans replied in a hiss. Behind it, three more snakes slithered into sight, one flanking each side of the leader, and the last circling the other three Pokémon in a large, lazy circle. "You have an anssswer, yesss?"

"Only three bodyguards this time?" the soft voice spoke again, this time carrying subtle amusement. At the same time, it was devoid of humor, sounding eerie and malicious in place of pleasant. "Last time you brought seven."

"It wasss all I could afford for thisss trip," the Ekans protested. I froze, flexing my claws instinctively as I recognized his voice. Even from sight alone, I could almost recognize the way he was semi-coiled on the ground. An arrogant signal, yet poised to strike at the slightest danger.

"Lose a few?" the Weepinbell mocked, letting out an odd chuckle. I shivered at the sound. Like the tone of amusement, the laugh was cool and spiteful, lacking any true note of empathy. Coupled with the words it spoke, the plant type seemed pleased at the thought of Fang's snakes being killed or hurt. I'm not an expert at reading tones, but Dragonair claimed to be, and often demonstrated his understanding in order to better tease someone.

The Ekans didn't respond, yet the Weepinbell seemed to guess the answer. "How unfortunate. An accident, or was someone gunning for you again?"

"Casssualty. Territory dissspute," Fang hissed, his fangs glinting in the sunlight as he spoke. "Sssome nobody Charmander...I dealt with her." A jolt hit my stomach and I flexed my claws aggressively. It took a flinch from Spark for me to remember where I was and what was going on. I took a deep breath. Now was not the time to get indignant or angry. I should take the Pichu back now and just forget about this snake and figure out a plan with Dragonair about how to proceed after our unofficial resignations. Yet something kept me rooted to that spot and I didn't move, waiting for the next statement.

"Interesting," the Weepinbell said quietly. "Your recent surge of paranoia has thus far prompted you to travel with no less than seven guards. Yet you meet me today with half the force during the aftermath of a territory dispute. I'm amazed you pried yourself away from your duties."

"My dutiesss can wait," Fang scowled.

"Your clan has been attacked thrice within a week, you assemble a personal guard of no less than seven, yet rather than attend to your duties, you let them hang?" the Weepinbell chuckled.

"I'm ssstill waiting for your anssswer," Fang hissed.

Spark abruptly yelped in terror, electricity exploding from his cheeks and tears soon followed. I didn't even have a chance to stifle the shout or his crying before the snakes and Weepinbell were alerted to our presence. As I turned, a sudden chill found its grip inside my chest. The feeling was similar to the Glare the Ekans had put on me the other night, but different...more powerful. I felt like every instinct in my mind had been torn away and replaced with mindless fear. Although the sun should still have been shining, everything seemed dark and shadowy and from the corner of my eye, I could see a black shape behind me, the only distinguishing feature being a pair of vibrant scarlet eyes. My mind had locked up and I couldn't even process what I was seeing.

"What isss it?" Fang demanded from the other side of the bushes. Spark had fallen to the ground, burying his face in his paws, too terrified to do anything more than sob. I broke out of my stupor and whirled around, slashing the shadowy form across the eyes. A startled yelp sounded from the shape and there was a momentary flash of yellow light from its body. The scuffle was promptly broken by a whirlwind of leaves flying past me, tearing through the bushes concealing us from the view of the Pokémon on the other side.

I glared in the direction of the leaves' source, finding the eyes of four Ekans upon me. The Weepinbell had turned towards me as well, but its eyes were closed at the moment. The other presence was still behind me; I could hear it growling, yet it didn't strike. Fang gaped at me, his eyes flicking between me and the sobbing Pichu. One of the other snakes also seemed to recognize us, because it hissed and slithered forward.

"You..." Fang sneered. I growled and flexed my claws, but said nothing. A tense silence fell, broken only by Spark's whimpers, as his crying gradually subsided.

"Interesting," the Weepinbell mused. It pivoted to the side and began to move away from the group. "Stand down, Volt, we've nothing further to add." Fang blinked at the statement and looked over at the plant type with a surprised expression, and although the plant's closed eyes made it unlikely that it saw his reaction, it chuckled. "It's your fight, Fang."

"Yesss," Fang agreed, refocusing on me and flashing his fangs. "A rematch it isss. You three...kill them."

"That's considered a rematch?" I sighed, rolling my eyes. Dragonair would have a field day with that order.


	16. Rematch With Snakes

**Ember POV**

The three snakes swiftly surrounded me, one in front of me and two behind but to the sides, forming a triangle. I internally smirked. This was a very popular formation among some of the Rocket Pokémon I had trained against. In an attempt to overwhelm me, a three on one matchup tended to include two Pokémon aiming to attack from the rear. Unfortunately for all who tried this, they found that I was perfectly capable of handling this tactic, especially at close range.

The snake in front of me raised its body like a cobra preparing to strike and slowly weaved its body back and forth before me in a mesmerizing pattern. I shifted my focus to the two snakes behind me and swiftly pivoted to the left as the snake to my right lashed its jaws forward. My movement brought my body out of range of the strike and closer to the snake to my left. It didn't even have a chance to move before I brought my claws across its eyes. Flecks of blood flew from the wound and the snake let out a huge hiss of agony. I took several paces back, creating distance between myself and the two uninjured snakes, both of whom had reared up to strike while I was distracted, but to no avail.

I was ready for them, one paw poised to strike, the other to jab. I had spent several years perfecting my combat style and rarely found a shortage of Pokémon confident enough to practice against. These Ekans were either subpar battlers or had underestimated me. I kept a fraction of my attention on Spark, just in case Fang tried to target him when I was unable to put myself between the kit and those fangs. Fortunately I appeared to have the full attention of the Ekans leader, for the time being assuring me of Spark's relative safety, and allowing me to focus on the Ekans in front of me. I cast a quick glance behind me, verifying that there were no sticks or rocks for me to trip over.

It was always important to mind one's surroundings, especially since the Weepinbell and that other Pokémon had both vanished. Just the claim to be leaving was not enough to assure me that they were gone, and if I focused too much on the enemies in front of me, I could leave myself open to possible allies attacking from behind me. Even the short glance behind me presented the snakes with an opportunity to strike, which one of them took. I ducked to the side at the last moment, feeling the wind from the Ekans' movement. Now there was one snake behind me and one in front of me, both ready to attack at a moment's notice. I pivoted and stepped backwards, wanting to keep them both in front of me.

"What are you waiting for?" Fang snarled. "Kill her!"

Even the half-blinded Ekans hissed and slithered forward, prepared to follow its master's command. I flexed my claws and narrowed my eyes, stepping to the side in a circular motion, mirroring the motions of the nearest Ekans as it tried to rotate and get a better angle to strike. The snake let out a hiss of frustration and snapped its fangs in my direction. I showed no reaction to the intimidating gesture. It was nothing more than a gesture after and gestures can't hurt me.

"Get her!" Fang snapped. At this command, the half-blind Ekans lunged at my leg. I twisted my foot out of the way and delivered a strong kick to the side of its head. I pivoted again and stepped forward, slashing my claws along the side of a second Ekans. My claws failed to penetrate the scales of the snake at my present angle, but it definitely knocked it off balance enough for me to focus on the third snake. This one seemed much more tactful than the other two, considering that so far, it had not attacked recklessly. Instead, it was focusing on my movements, its tongue flicking menacingly.

"What, you want something?" I growled, again positioning my body so that the three snakes were in front of me, rather than at various angles. The snake smirked in reply and spat a dark fluid from its mouth. I took note of the trajectory and calmly sidestepped when it came close. Judging by the snake's grimace, my movement had upset whatever goal it had been planning. In the time elapsed, the other two Ekans had reorganized, blood still trickling down the scales of the half-blinded snake.

"All three at onssse!" the smarter snake hissed. The other hissed in acknowledgement and in a blur of motion, they all struck, one aiming for my neck, the other two for my torso and legs. What they probably don't know is that all of them aiming for one area meant that I could step aside and they'd all miss and make themselves vulnerable to counterattack, which is precisely what happened.

Without one or two of them serving as backup in some form for each other, their greater numbers meant nothing but further loss of coordination and having to watch out to make sure they didn't interfere with one another's attacks. Numbers only meant so much in the end. To me, it was obvious these three had rarely, if ever, battled a single target together. Fang was just plain ignorant if these snakes were supposed to serve as bodyguards for him. They had no coordination and no central strategy.

"What isss wrong with you?" Fang seethed. "Ssshe ssshould not be difficult to beat! One Charmander againssst three of you!"

I ignored the leader Ekans, despite the anger bubbling in my gut. I should be used to harsh generalizations by now, but they always stung a little, no matter how hard I tried to ignore them. The words only hurt as much as I'd allow them to, but sometimes I couldn't help but feel insulted. I flexed my claws. Fine, I'll just go on the offensive now. That'll close that stupid snake's mouth.

I darted forward as the snakes disentangled themselves, targeting the healthier snake first and jabbing my claws into the weaker scales beneath its chin. The Ekans recoiled with a pained hiss, and I directed my free paw into the next snake's face, dazing it. With two snakes stunned, I focused on the third. To leave it half-blind would be cruel, to blind it completely would be cruel, and to kill it...I just hate killing. The snake made the choice easier for me by blindly snapping his fangs at my shoulder. I pivoted and drove my claws into its neck, the tips of my claws digging into it until a peculiar gurgling sounded from its throat, followed by the snake's body going limp.

I gagged as I withdrew the claws, my stomach churning in protest. Ugh, I almost wish I hadn't eaten yet, just so that there wouldn't be anything bubbling within my stomach for me to heave up if it came to that. Fortunately, a distraction came in the form of one snake plowing its body into me, hurling me to the ground and biting at my neck. I caught the fangs with my paws, grunting as I struggled to push the massive teeth away from my body, as the Ekans forced the fangs closer and closer to my neck. My tail flame burned with greater intensity as I pushed more effort against the snake, yet was slowly losing the struggle. Even if I couldn't repel the snake entirely, I had to try to get it away from me!

Sudden inspiration came to me as the fang inched closer. I rolled my weight to the side, taking the snake with me and slamming its head against the ground. Caught by surprise, the snake's mouth snapped shut, just as my strength gave out and its mouth hit against my exposed neck. Relieved by the close save, it took me a moment to remember I had to fight back. The third snake, driven to impatience by the failure of its kin, slammed its body upon mine and struck. At the same time, I pushed myself into a sitting position and drove my claws into its eyes. Whatever it had planned to do was immediately derailed at the loss of vision, and it took no effort at all to dislodge it from my body.

The snake whose head I slammed into the ground was not in much better condition than the blinded one. Its mouth was bleeding profusely and in the moment its mouth was open, I saw a deep bite wound in its tongue, clearly self-inflicted by accident. The blow to the side of its head had caused one of its fangs to become crooked, and the sudden shutting of its mouth...long description short, its fang had impaled its own tongue. I almost hoped there had been venom in those fangs so he'd die quickly of poison, rather than bleeding to death. Ugh, I don't even want to envision how that would feel.

Fang gaped at the conditions of his three bodyguards and looked at me with an expression of disbelieving awe. "What hell did you ssspawn from?" he demanded. I fixed the Ekans with a glare. Did he just freaking call me a hell spawn?

As I stood, the blinded Ekans latched onto my foot and sunk its teeth into my leg. I reacted instinctively, slamming my claws down into its head, the force of the blow breaking off the fang from its mouth, but at the same time driving it in deeper. I yelped in agonizing pain and recoiled from the near-dead snake, pulling the fang from my leg and inspecting the wound anxiously. Blood was pouring from the wound, but I didn't see any signs of poison seeping into my body, either around the wound or the fang itself. I clutched the wound, gritting my teeth to keep from crying out. Or just crying, both were tempting.

Fang laughed and slithered forward. "Now then...I'll sssend you back to the hell you come from," he sneered, his expression no longer showing any fear. I growled. I had expected to fight him from the beginning, and even secretly hoped for a chance to pay him back for the bite the other day, but now I was in no condition to fight, the same as the conclusion of the snake fight yesterday. Only this time, my injury was much worse because it was an injured leg, not just a scale wound to my side. With one leg weakened, it would no doubt mess up my evasive maneuvers and speed. I had no idea how good this snake really was in battle, and this time he had a larger handicap. Even so, showing weakness at this time would certainly not resolve the situation peacefully. There was only one response I could give.

"Bring it," I snapped.

"Oh, I ssshall," Fang chuckled. "My clan demandsss vengenssse for what you've done to usss. And I, the great Fang, will oblige to their lawssss..."


	17. Duel of Claws, Fangs, and Acid

**Ember POV**

Fang coiled his body like a spring and launched himself forward with great speed. I dodged to the side, swiping my claws at his midriff, but my movement agitated my leg and I did a partial limp, my claws barely missing my target before I could recover. Fang landed on the grass and pivoted his head, facing towards me. His eyes shown red, but I turned away at the last second, recognizing the technique as Glare, a hypnotizing stare that froze one's body in place, making one's reactions and reflexes much more sluggish.

He struck when my gaze was turned and was upon me in an instant. Before he could sink his fangs into my neck, I reached out and grabbed his jaw, pressing the two halves together and muzzling his mouth. His closed jaw hit my neck, yet I took the blow without complaint. It was much better than being killed in a single bite. Fang recoiled from me, tearing my grip apart and repositioning himself for a second attempt. I rolled to the side, unbalancing him, and threw a punch at his nose. The Ekans flinched at the blow, but otherwise shrugged it off, slithering back a few paces, his eyes focused on me. I got to my feet, wincing as I put my weight on my wounded leg. I'd just have to grit my teeth and bear it for now, until I got a chance to rest.

Fang opened his mouth, which at first I ignored. He was too far away to get a bite in. However, the Ekans spat a splash of a grimy black fluid from his throat, coming at me too fast for an appropriate reaction. On instinct alone, I held up my arm to shield the rest of my body, coming to regret that as the liquid splashed over my left arm. At first, I didn't feel a change, but seconds later a searing agony was expanding from my arm. A loud sizzling sound could be heard and wisps of black steam rose up from the sizzling fluid. I watched in mute horror as the liquid burned through my scales easily, every pop of acid sending more pain coursing through my nerves. I clutched my burned arm tightly, and immediately released as the contact triggered another flare of pain.

Fang laughed at my reaction, his tongue flicking in obvious glee. I growled, flexing the claws of my right paw. "You wisssh to sssilence me?" Fang taunted, flicking his tail in a 'come on' gesture. I didn't rise to his bait. Being reckless in my attacks would put me at a disadvantage for the same reason that I was able to counter the attacks of the three bodyguard Ekans. I took a deep breath, gritting my teeth against the spasm of pain from my burned arm and injured leg.

Fang slithered in a circle around me, his eyes blazing with determination and excitement. I pivoted, unwilling to let him have even the slightest angle advantage. Although the movements put more strain on my leg, it was worth it to not lose sight of the cowardly snake. Fang smirked and abruptly darted towards my left side, coiling his body and launching at my left leg. I raised the leg and kicked outwards, catching him in the face before his fangs were bared, and knocked him backwards. He shook his head, dazed, but my kick also had put more weight on my injured leg and I lost my balance, landing on my rump. I hastily backed up, taking advantage of Fang's stunned state to reduce the opening I had presented, and pushed myself back to my feet. Clearly he had been hoping to injure both of my legs and had counted on my injured left arm to attack without fear of retaliation. I doubted my kick would work again.

"Sssooo...tougher than I thought," Fang sneered, flicking his tongue. I said nothing and narrowed my eyes, watching every undulation of his coils, searching for either a weakness or some other opening, in addition to movements that would tip me off as to what he was planning. It came sooner than I expected, as the Ekans spat another stream of Acid, this time aimed towards my face. I jerked back at the last second and shielded my eyes with my burnt arm, just for safety. Although a drop or two hit my arm, the majority of the liquid splashed against my chest. Uh oh.

Fang laughed as the acid sizzled against my scales, watching as pain exploded along every nerve of my body. The splash of acid before was nothing compared to this. The wisps of steam drifted up to my nostrils, causing my eyes to water as an incredibly acrid and foul stench bombarded my senses. The scales protecting my chest were stripped away like meat torn from a bone, and even the slightest touch of my paw triggered an unbearable level of sensitivity. Even as I blinked to clear my vision, I felt the Ekans' weight collide with my chest, pain exploding outwards from the contact, and the force of the blow sending me sprawling backwards.

I squirmed and shoved the snake away the best I could, gasping as agony spread through me with every breath. My chest and arm felt like they were being stabbed with hundreds of claws, and my head was spinning as I fought to keep from gagging at the lingering smell in my nostrils. I could hear Fang laughing, even though I couldn't see him through my watery vision. The sound of the snake's rattle seemed to echo from everywhere around me, leaving me confused as to which direction he was coming from. I readied my claws, turning every which way in a desperate attempt to reorient myself. Aside from the rattling, the area had gone silent, and the snake's tail gave nothing away. He had to be moving, then. There's no other explanation for why I could hear him the same no matter which way I turned. That or one of his remaining bodyguards was rattling away before dying, just to spite me.

Something hit me from behind, throwing me forward onto my stomach, the grass and dirt flying up and applying pressure to my ravaged chest. Spasms of pain flooded my nerves, yet I rolled to the side, swiping my claws desperately towards the blurred shape I assumed was Fang, but my claws found nothing but air. Mew damn it, where was he?

Leaving my survival to chance wasn't working, so I wiped my eyes with one paw and jerked to the side, just in time it seemed, because the Ekans flew past me, so close I felt the passing wind of its movement. I focused upon the Ekans, dashing forward and jabbing my claws as forcefully as I could. The Ekans' scales repelling the blow impressively and he smacked my paw aside with his tail, smirking at me.

"Won't work on me, Charmander," Fang taunted, swiftly coiling his tail around my paw and tugging me forward, dragging me to one knee and baring his fangs to strike. I jabbed my left paw into his neck and he recoiled with a pained yelp, a trickle of blood emerging from the place I hit. He stared at me in momentary alarm. "You hit that hard...with that paw?" he demanded. "You usssed your right paw againssst my bodyguardsss!"

I snorted and stabbed my right paw in response. Although he twisted his head out of the way, his eyes widened as he realized what I thought should have been obvious: I'm ambidextrous. How the hell can one master claw combat if they only trained one of their paws? If one arm got broken or otherwise incapacitated, I'd be completely useless in battle for some time. To avoid that eventuality, I had trained with both of my paws for everything; from battle to everyday tasks, making sure I didn't favor one paw over the other. I thought that's what most claw battlers did, but in most cases I noticed claw combat was an unpopular style and distance or melee was more common.

Fang retreated a short distance, hissing tauntingly. I stepped sideways, walking in a circle around the Ekans, making sure to keep him in front of me, and inching closer every so often. Fang hissed, exposing his fangs threateningly. The sight of his fangs brought back the flickers of pain from my side and right leg, but I countered the intimidation by flexing my claws, ignoring the spasm of pain that emerged from my acid-burned arm. Every breath still agitated the burns on my chest, but I was slowly adjusting to the pain. Seeing that I wasn't backing down, the Ekans launched another stream of acid, but this time I threw myself to the side and kicked off the ground to charge forward with greater momentum.

Fang twisted his body out of the way, but as I passed him, he stuck his tail around and tripped me. I tumbled across the ground, crying out when I slid the last few inches across the grass, the pain in my chest cleaving into my nerves. I dug my claws into the dirt and pushed myself onto all fours, relieving the pain to a small degree, but Fang was upon me in a flash, his weight driving my body back onto the ground. I gasped, clenching my jaw to keep from screaming. My paws were shaking. Shaking. They never shook like this...no matter how tough the fight.

I knew the Ekans was savoring the moment of triumph, for I could feel his breath against my neck, but he hadn't bitten yet. A drop of acid dripped from his mouth and landed upon my neck. It triggered only a mild twinge of pain when it burned, but even that tiny twinge was enough; I struggled with renewed vigor, startling the snake. A sudden chill flooded through my spine where the snake was seated upon, and his composure vanished. I rolled swiftly to the side, hurling him off me. I focused upon him and saw that he was shivering, his attention no longer on me, but on something off to the side. I followed his gaze and felt a surge of relief at the sight of a longer serpentine creature hovering before us, his scales sapphire blue with a white scaled underbelly in sharp contrast to the Ekans' purple body.

Fang looked like he had sucked a Grepa berry. "You..." he hissed.

"I could say the same, but you've done it for me, so let's not mince words and elongated 's' sounds, and just get right down to you being blown apart," Dragonair suggested. He looked over at me. "You okay, love?"

"How did you...?"

"Me find Dragon!" Spark chirped happily, my attention flitting over to the Pichu standing just beneath the floating dragon. Fang hissed in response.

"The little baby," he sneered, his red eyes glowing brightly. Spark let out a whimper and his body froze in place, the Pichu dissolving into panic when he discovered he was now all but immobile.

"What point did that serve?" Dragonair demanded, glaring at the snake. "It's not like he poses a threat to you." Fang didn't answer, instead beginning to retreat towards the wall of bushes on the other side of the small clearing. The blue orb upon Dragonair's neck shimmered and a bolt of lightning fired from his horn, directed to the ground just behind Fang. The Ekans halted its retreat and ducked its head to allow the bolt to travel harmlessly over him.

"That won't ssstop me, the great Fang," the snake sneered. I slowly pushed myself up, staggering a little and wincing when I put too much weight on my right leg. Dragonair's gaze flicked over to me and his eyes widened. I looked down at the acid burns on my chest, for the first time getting a good look at them. The acrid scent was still strong at this range, and there were several scorch marks where burned scales had not been eaten away by the acid.

A sudden chill ran through my body and the muscles locked up. My eyes widened and Dragonair's attention rushed back to the retreating Ekans leaders, whose eyes gleamed red as soon as Dragonair looked at him. The dragon averted his gaze just in time, and I saw the rattle of Fang's tail disappear under a bush. Dragonair sent a random Thunderbolt towards the bush, but didn't pursue, instead floating over to me, his gaze flitting to the three Ekans I had beaten earlier.

"What the hell happened here?" Dragonair demanded.


	18. A Time For Healing

**Ember POV**

Spark took it upon himself to fill Dragonair in on the recent goings-on, his words coming at an extremely fast pace as Dragonair helped walk me back away from where the fight had taken place. "Me and Ember play and have fun, but me want food so me go find food," he began, speaking so rapidly the words bled together at times. I was getting used to his speech pattern, so I probably had an easier time understanding him than the dragon did. "Ember want go back so me go to, but me stop cuz me see weird plant thing."

"You saw what?" Dragonair broke in, squinting at the Pichu. Spark pouted at being interrupted, but the question sunk in and he continued.

"Me see weird plant thing. Me think it look cool so me go see it gooder." Dragonair winced at the word, a sentiment I mirrored, remembering how much Dragonair hated when people misused words like that. However, I doubted he would correct the young Pichu, who was clearly too young to understand that he hadn't used the right word.

"You okay?" Dragonair asked, looking over at me. He must have seen my wince and thought something had physically hurt. I nodded, shifting my weight and continuing to walk, using the dragon's long tail to support my injured leg. Normally, I wouldn't have bothered, but Dragonair was adamant that I let him help me, so I couldn't complain. It was a lot harder this time to dismiss my injuries as nothing, since a good half of my front was covered in acid burns and I was bleeding.

"Me still talk!" Spark whined, noticing at last that his audience had stopped focusing on him. Dragonair rolled his eyes behind the kit's back and looked back over at him.

"I was listening, go on," he prompted. Spark relaxed and started rambling about how cool the plant had looked, then went off on a tangent about some cool leaves or plants he had seen at his home. I lost track of the story at this point, and let my thoughts wander.

Once again, that Ekans had successfully attacked me and then fled without much injury. Had it not been for Dragonair's timely arrival, I might have ended up worse. Fang had been a coward the first time we met, having his underlings attack first and then performing a cheap sneak attack and running at the first sign of danger. I had let that encounter tarnish my preparation for the battle, the leg wound be damned. I should have been more careful, and not have thought so little of my opponent. It was not a mistake I intended to make again if I ever met that snake again.

Dragonair eventually turned his attention back to me, as if aware of my thoughts. "You took a bit of a beating, love," he said, looking my burns over with a critical eye. "Don't take it too hard, though. Everyone has their bad days." I assume that was meant to cheer me up or something. "For now, try to take it easy. You should heal in no time. Heh, I take scale damage a lot, so believe me, I know."

I grunted in reply. I know how fast my scales regenerate. I may not take burn damage much, but it's not the first time this sort of thing has happened in my years of experience. This was just a greater dose than normal. Dragonair didn't say anything else for a while; half of his attention seemed to be on Spark, to make sure he didn't start pouting if no one was listening to him.

"Wait, what?" he blurted suddenly. Spark stopped speaking and cocked his head curiously. "What did you just say?"

"Me go get Dragon?" Spark guessed. Dragonair shook his head.

"Before that, and before you said something about the mean snake."

Spark frowned in thought, but shrugged. "Me no know."

Dragonair sighed. "Never mind. Is your story finished?"

"Yup!" Spark chirped, running around us in a wide circle. Good to see the events of the day had absolutely no effect on him. It makes me feel much better with stabs of pain rushing through the burns on my body, and walking with a limp.

"Good. I was thinking about what you said the other night, Ember, and I think I have an idea," Dragonair told me. I raised an eye scale. What had I said the other night that would have given him an idea? And did I want to know what madness I inspired him to try out?

"Yeah?" I prompted.

"The thing about a base transfer. For a while, I thought maybe you meant we transfer ourselves to that base so we can work in closer proximity with Dominic," the dragon said. "That didn't make sense with the complications we experienced. And transferring him to Vermillion wouldn't work because we can't get back there with me under suspicion."

"Is this coming to a point?" I demanded. I hated when Dragonair was inclined to explain his reasoning for a decision before telling me the decision. I think he does it on purpose sometimes, to build suspense, the problem being that I didn't need the suspense because I didn't know what he was getting at in the first place.

"Just getting there, love," Dragonair replied with a smirk.

"Stop calling me that!" I growled. Again and again, he failed to reach his point, and every sentence it took for him to get there was another sentence gnawing away at my patience. He blinked at me.

"Stop?" he repeated. "I thought you didn't mind that."

I rolled my eyes. "Not minding only goes so long, Dragonair. It's been getting annoying now, and I'm not in the mood to deal with it."

"Well...okay..." he trailed off uncertainly and an uneasy silence fell between us, which Spark helpfully occupied with cheerful humming. "Any reason you don't like it, aside from the obvious?" he asked finally.

"It's annoying," I repeated blandly. "Now get to your point."

Dragonair was silent a little longer, and for a minute I thought he wasn't going to continue. "Oh, so I was looking for another possibility for that idea, and then it hit me that both of those bases were off-limits because they would be the first to know the situation. A third or fourth base might be easier to get through, especially if the news is slow-traveling."

"What are we talking about?" I asked, wincing when his tail flicked, momentarily unbalancing me and putting excessive pressure on my leg. Dragonair quickly coiled his tail around my waist to better support me.

"The base transfer thing. We can't try to get into the Cerulean Base and we can't have anything to do with the Vermillion one. So the best option is to try the same idea with a third base, one that isn't associated with either of those two. Understand?"

"Not in the slightest!" I snapped. "What's the plan in the first place? I don't care about the specifics until I know the basic outline!" I took a deep breath to calm down. I was just angry because of the flickers of pain rushing through me with every step, and the stress of the situation with the Rockets. Dragonair patted my lower back with the tip of his tail soothingly. I muttered an apology, but I doubt he heard me.

"I'll explain more later. For now, we need to find a place to rest so you can heal," he told me. I grunted and he chuckled. "No need to be such a grouchy Charmander, Ember."

"Oh shut up," I muttered, yet a smile tugged at my mouth. Spark, oblivious to everything that had just occurred, bounced over to a shaded tree.

"Ooh! Me find spot!" he said proudly, running in a tight circle around the tree. Dragonair studied Spark, then turned his head to me.

"What makes this spot superior to the other seventy or so trees in the area?" he whispered. I shrugged, regretting the movement immediately when a spasm of pain rocketed down my arm. I grunted and clutched the arm with my right paw, nearly losing my balance when I removed my grip from Dragonair. Fortunately he adjusted his tail's grip on me just in time. "Yeah, you sit and rest, Ember," he told me sternly, guiding me to a sitting position under the tree. He then proceeded to adjust my position for me, including the placement of my paws on my lap and moving my tail so that I wasn't placing it under me. It would have been incredibly awkward if anyone other than him had done that. It's just one of those things someone expects from Dragonair.

"You need stuff?" Spark chirped, stopping in front of me and bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Nah, let her relax, Spark," Dragonair said, swooping over and guiding the Pichu away from me with his tail. "Come; let's go find something to do, like get some water or something so you can wake her up randomly."

I really hope he's kidding.

I must have gotten to sleep at some point, because it was afternoon when I next opened my eyes. Dragonair and Spark were a little ways away, staying close by. I kept my eyes open only a fraction, so that I could observe them without either of them realizing I was awake. I was too far away to hear whatever it was they were talking about, but the dragon seemed amused by something or other. A stab of disappointment hit my stomach. I felt so left out all of a sudden. Spark was laughing, something I've only really seen him do when the two of us were alone. Dragonair until now hadn't shown much interest in the Pichu himself, aside from assigning himself the task of locating his parents. Now, with me injured and asleep, he's opened himself up to having fun with the kit?

I shook myself quickly. This was a stupid thing to get annoyed about. It wasn't important. Just lingering frustration from the fight with Fang, that was all. It had happened before; lingering...well, not bloodlust exactly, but fighting spirit. I allowed my eyes to open fully and tentatively touched my leg injury, wincing when a flare of pain shot down it. Damn, it hadn't healed yet. It was hoping too much that it would heal quickly, but I couldn't help but feel disappointed anyway.

"Oh, look who's up, it's Sleeping Beauty," Dragonair said, floating over to where I sat, Spark right behind him. He hopped up into my lap, knocking the air from me. I gently pushed him away and frowned at Dragonair, who grinned in response. "How are you feeling?"

"How long was I sleeping?"

"Two hours or so," the dragon answered, giving a serpentine shrug. "I was thinking that, if you're able, that we should get going. Still have that Rocket issue active, and I think the sooner we get on board with my idea, the better. Can you walk?"

"No," I muttered.

"I could carry you," Dragonair offered, but his smirk told me he knew how I would respond.

"Uh, no," I stated blandly. I can't stand being carried, injury be damned. Any situation where my movement is heavily limited is disturbingly uncomfortable. Dragonair chuckled.

"What, do you prefer to limp for miles? That won't be good for your leg, you know."

"Yeah, I know," I grumbled.

Dragonair shook his head. "I could easily carry you both and make incredible time. I'm capable of flight and more than large enough to coil around you both. If you two walk, we'll have to take more time."

"I don't care," I grouched.

"Need I remind you that time is not something we have a lot of, if we are to handle the complication with his parents?" Dragonair noted, pointing his tail at Spark, who waved in response. "The longer we take to act, the more time the Rockets have to put out alerts for us to the point we won't be able to go anywhere without checking over our shoulders every few steps."

I scowled. This was so unfair. I hadn't wanted to get involved in this situation in the first place, but Dragonair had dragged me into it from the start, by volunteering me, and then strong-arming me into coming with them. I had gotten injured twice already and lost whatever stability my life had had before this situation, and all he could focus on was how I was inconveniencing him.

I stood up, using the tree trunk to steady myself. "Fine, where are we going?" I demanded. Dragonair smirked.

"That's the spirit."

"Reluctant and pissed off is the spirit?" I asked, with a trace of a growl.

"Touché," Dragonair chuckled. "We're going towards Celadon now. Closer to Saffron, really."

"Wait, wait...wasn't that last base near Cerulean?" I asked, trying to form a map in my head. "We came from Vermillion so...did we skip over Saffron somehow?"

Dragonair paused. "You know, that's true. It's mislabeled as south of Cerulean, when it's more accurate to say that it's east of Saffron. Damn, I never noticed that. I could have chewed Ethan out about the labels. Awww, perfect opportunity lost." He seemed genuinely upset, but the moment soon faded. "Oh well. Let's go," he said, draping his tail around me.

"You're not carrying me," I reminded him with a sharp growl. He chuckled.

"Okay, but if you fall behind, all bets are off."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, whatever."

"Another thing; dismissively saying 'fine' is like signing a contract without reading it," Dragonair said, adopting an expression of exaggerated disbelief. "Would you believe how many people actually do that? For Celebi's sake, one grunt almost signed away his first born daughter to spice miners that way."

"What?"

Dragonair raised his tail in a gesture of innocence. "May Zapdos strike me down if I utter one word of a lie." As he finished speaking, thunder rumbled in the sky and black clouds seemed to form before our eyes. "...that's a coincidence," the dragon said. Then the rain started coming down.

"I hate you," I sighed, shielding my tail flame from the rain the best I could and trudging down the path ahead.

"Why? It was just an expression!" Dragonair protested.


	19. Interlude of Foes

The sky had darkened to the point that the present time was comparable to late evening, and raindrops cascaded down upon the earth, filling the air with the scent of dirt and rain. Every tree bent at the guidance of the passing wind swirling among the branches, and the sounds of Pokémon scrambling for shelter could be heard whenever the wind stopped its howls. Those who were about did not stay out for long and many a Pokémon sought shelter within the shades of trees, shivering as they huddled together for warmth while dodging the large drops falling from the leaves above.

This shivering evolved to outright trembling as an ominous rattling sound mingled with that of the pattering raindrops and wind, its source emerging from beyond a veil of bushes, slinking and slithering its limbless purple form over the grass, a tongue flicking occasionally from its jaw. The smallest of the creatures froze in place, wide eyes staring in silent horror at the snake as it moved past, the red eyes of the Ekans not sparing them so much as a passing glance, its gaze as cold as the crisp raindrops.

Fang was not a happy snake. His mind buzzed with a mixture of feelings, and not one of them was foreign to him. Anger, frustration, embarrassment, and of course, outright nervousness and fear. The latter two he forced away, his tail lashing. Water slid down his scaly hide as he made his way down the muddy path, his body carving a trail through the dirt, only for the water to wash it away. Even with his seething anger, his stomach squirmed with apprehension, a feeling he had come to know too well in the past week...but that wasn't important right now. He had no fellow Ekans with him, no guards or defense, and his clan grounds were too far away to chance going there now and missing the event to come. If word got out that this had happened to him...that his guards had once again been removed, he'd run out of support. The Ekans clan might decide it wasn't worth the risks to their lives to let him continue his leadership...and that was something he could not allow to pass.

Lightning flashed against the sky above and the downpour seemed to intensify. Deep puddles flowed through the ruts in the worn road, yet Fang slid through them as if they didn't even exist, his gaze focused perpetually ahead. His rattle shook, ringing its ominous sound, a sound torn away by the overpowering thunder of the storm. It didn't matter. The water wouldn't stop him, not like that. He was a strong snake, but he was in need of help. It wasn't a sign of weakness to need help, was it?

The answers lay ahead, where Fang could make out a dim glow of fire. Unlike normal flames, it was a deep purple, and even the howling wind and pattering rain did nothing to weaken it. As Fang drew nearer, he saw his contacts. The bell-shaped plant sitting right in the open and letting the water soak into its body, and the quadruped with the frightening red eyes...Fang always felt a cold tingle of apprehension around that one. His guards had even admitted to feeling such an effect. The latter was lying down beneath a tree, its body undoubtedly ill-sheltered from the rain, yet it carried an air of complete indifference to the dampness, a feeling Fang himself had no trouble accepting.

The Weepinbell's eyes were closed, and it gave no indication of noticing Fang's presence, even when the Ekans stopped right before it. Fang hissed to get the plant's attention, and even then the plant's eyes slid open a mere fraction. The quadruped beneath the tree made a soft sound, much like a stifled chuckle, and Fang turned his eyes upon the source with a contemptuous glare.

"Sssomething funny?" he demanded, his rattle vibrating, losing much of its intimidating factor to the storm's loudness.

"Lovely weather," the Weepinbell interrupted, and there was forcefulness to its tone that warned both of them to drop their impending argument. The rain was pattering against the ground so loudly that they both had to strain to hear, Fang more so due to lacking the strong ears of the plant's companion. "You're late as usual," the Weepinbell continued.

Fang said nothing, merely studied the plant Pokémon. Every little meeting they ever had, no matter what time he arrived, he was labeled as late, for he always arrived after the plant itself did. It made no impact on the meeting, but the effort of constructing a weak 'excuse' for his tardiness was wearisome, for the Weepinbell had stated once that it expected promptness from those seeking anything from it. Fang hissed to himself. It if weren't for _them_...well, then this whole thing wouldn't be happening at all.

"You've come this time with no guard at all..." the plant noted softly. It was all Fang could do to keep from snarling at the Weepinbell's amused dismissiveness, or glaring at the snicker coming from his left. "I trust things did not go as well as you expected?" the Weepinbell continued, utilizing the same smug dismissive tone. _They can afford to be smug_, he thought bitterly. _They didn't have a clan to run, or anything to worry about like clan relations or...other things._

"It'sss not important," Fang hissed. "We have better thingsss to dissscusss...do we not?"

"Indeed, but once again, you slither on up here with no regard for your self-imposed commitments. A curious quality in a clan leader." The small slits that made up the Weepinbell's eyes seemed to shine, but at the same time, a fork of lightning split the sky. When that light had faded, the glow was gone. Fang frowned to himself, not sure what to make of this. Of all the contacts he had ever made during his leadership years, this arrangement was the one that made him the most uneasy. It wasn't just this Weepinbell, either. It was this subtle vibe, one that was impossible to detect by the primary senses. It could not be seen, heard, or smelled. It could only be felt, and the touch came not from vibrations or contact, but by an oozing feeling that coiled its way beneath his scales.

"I need thisss help and you have not given an anssswer," the Ekans hissed softly, his eyes flicking from the Weepinbell to the other Pokémon, the one whose red eyes had not left him for a moment. There was something odd in the stare, an almost hungry, predatory look. It was only when gazing towards him that Fang ever spotted an emotion other than absolute disinterest from the canine. This was almost more disconcerting than the Weepinbell.

"Tell me, Fang...what drives you to contact me?" the Weepinbell whispered. Fang blinked, turning his attention back to the plant. The raindrops cascading upon its body had made the leaves and stem much glossier than any plant, Pokémon or otherwise, that the Ekans had ever seen. A strange observation at this place and time.

"Excussse me?" he asked, although he had heard perfectly well. The question was to buy time to think of an answer.

"You made your case already and I've heard you out. The entire phony spiel about the stability of your clan is interesting, but you found your clan under attack for a second time, but unlike the first, you could not identify the attacker. What will you have me do? Extend protection to a territory of Ekans?" The Weepinbell ended the remark with a laugh and Fang scowled.

"We don't need that," he argued. "We can defend our own territory!"

"A third assault on your land occurred just the other night, and you lost a fair number of your kin, did you not?" the Weepinbell asked. There was no accusation in its voice, only a faint trace of amusement. Fang scowled, doing his best to ignore the snicker from his left. He shot the offending Pokémon a glare, but spoke to the grass type.

"It wasss attended to and-"

"Liar," the canine interrupted. Fang hissed indignantly, but was silenced at once as a peal of thunder exploded above them, loud enough to drown out the thoughts in his mind. Slowly, he relaxed and refocused on the Weepinbell, the creature he knew only by its species. He knew nothing about his contact, understood nothing about its plans or methods. Here he was, a snake of incredible caliber, forced to bow to the whims of a creature he didn't know a lick about. He had only its word that it could help, and already it had been demonstrated that the plant Pokémon knew more than it let on; more about him, more about his clan, more about everything that Fang experienced on a regular basis. Its tone was always calm and rational, yet at the same time subtly malicious and amused, as if Fang's plight was so minor it shouldn't even be wasting time on it, but was going to humor him nevertheless.

"That will do, Volt," the Weepinbell chided quietly. Fang made a mental note of the name. It sounded...vaguely familiar, but now it meant nothing to him, and even less in a time such as this. The plant's attention seemed to sharpen upon Fang, a slitted gaze that made him uncomfortable, as if the eyes of the Weepinbell, however tightly shut, were peering deep within him with a piercing stare rivaling that of a spear or dagger.

"It wasss not my fault," Fang spat, desperate to break the uneasy silence that had fallen. "I had the Charmander bitch where I wanted her."

"Then what happened?" the bell Pokémon asked quietly, its tone as dismissive as always. A surge of frustration passed through the Ekans. Why was the plant having such an indifferent attitude? For whatever reason, nothing he had to say ever seemed to do more than mildly interest the Weepinbell. Still, Fang held his temper. He didn't have the numbers in his clan to perform the task he needed without aid, and he didn't dare try to inspire his clan snakes, for if they knew how much would be sacrificed for such little gain...he couldn't imagine that turning out well.

"I had to leave," he said finally. Volt snorted, earning yet another Glare, this one more powerful and eerie than the mild ones Fang had lashed out with. He was rewarded by a startled blink from his victim, but a flash of yellow coinciding with a bolt of lightning brought a sudden tension to his body. It was as if every muscle and coil along his entire form had been frozen in place, locking up and immobilizing him. He fell forward onto the wet grass and willed himself desperately to move, but to no avail.

"You can still speak, so do so," the Weepinbell ordered. Fang felt a tingle run down his spine. _It knew_...it knew what had happened to him just now, yet treated it as nothing.

"That Dragonair ssshowed up," Fang hissed through his tense jaw. For the first time since meeting the bell Pokémon, Fang saw it perk up and its leaves twitched.

"...what did you say?"

"A Dragonair...with the Charmander," Fang growled, frustrated by the immobility of his jaw. If only he could speak clearer, but the struggle was in vain. He was stuck and the frustration was giving way to a subtle panic.

"Don't struggle, it's your own fault, but it will pass," the Weepinbell said, snapping a vine towards the snake and coiling the vine around his lower neck, drawing the immobilized snake closer. "Did you say a Dragonair?"

"Yesss," Fang snarled.

"Now that...is very interesting," the plant mused. Fang could practically see the wheels turning inside the yellow bell's leafy brain. "Are you certain?"

"Posssitive," Fang hissed, irked by the disbelief in the plant's tone, refreshing as it was. The vine around him uncoiled, dropping his limp body to the ground once more. The Weepinbell's expression was unreadable.

"What would a Dragonair be doing in this area?" it wondered aloud. "No matter, no matter," it murmured and without another word, turned from the snake and began moving in the opposite direction. Fang yelled in protest, but couldn't be heard over another peal of thunder. He shot a glance towards the tree to the left and found the other creature had vanished as well, leaving him alone.

"Jerksss," Fang seethed under his breath, twitching his body the best he could. _How much longer until this wears off?_


	20. Seeking Shelter

**Ember POV**

I hate rain. I know that sounds painfully cliché, mainly because Dragonair was liable to tell me so if I ever voiced that thought aloud, but in all seriousness it kills my mood. It doesn't really bother me that I'm a fire type with a vulnerable external flame; just the simple presence of rain could dampen my mood within minutes. I'll admit that I like having wet scales and make a point to shower or bathe at least daily, if not twice, but there was something about rain that bothered me in a way unrelated to getting wet or having to protect my tail flame.

Traveling is not much better, especially in a rain storm. Maintaining my tail flame with little bursts of fire was draining enough without walking for Mew knows how long. At least once or twice a month, I trained outdoors during poor weather conditions, just so certain strategies and circumstances wouldn't render me useless. Many a water type has tried to soak the ground to trip their opponent up, and by training in wet conditions, I've learned to use that strategy to my advantage, and caught many a Squirtle by surprise. Learning to battle with a weakened tail flame would keep me from becoming exhausted or overwhelmed by cold if the flame did go out. Despite popular opinion, dousing a Charmander's flame would not be fatal unless it remained in that state for a prolonged amount of time, depending on the Charmander's health at the time.

As it was, I had little right to complain. Dragonair would chide me on bellyaching about water when I was in no danger, and we couldn't help the...wait, what the hell? Dragonair were able to control the weather! Why wasn't he doing anything about this storm?

I turned around, careful to shelter my tail while doing so. Even if the flame going out wasn't especially dangerous, it was far from pleasant. Spark was presently embraced within Dragonair's coils, electricity flying from his cheeks, his eyes shutting whenever a flash of lightning played against the sky or if a crash of thunder sounded. Dragonair winced occasionally, confirming that with wet scales and water in the air, the kit's zaps were definitely passing to him. Noticing that I had stopped, Dragonair did the same, his eyes asking the obvious question.

"Can't you stop this?" I asked, my question getting drowned out by a crash of thunder.

"What?" he asked, leaning closer. I repeated myself and he shook his head. What did he mean 'no'? Dragonair were naturally able to control the weather. He had mentioned this many times, as had books about the species. I frowned. Maybe with the storm being so loud, he had misheard. In that case, we should seek shelter so that I could get an explanation, or at the very least, a straight answer.

"Why the hell not?" I demanded. "Dragonair are supposed to be able to control the weather."

"We can," Dragonair answered, using a greater volume so that I could hear him without the storm muffling his words. "To some degree. That doesn't give us a right to abuse it to...heck and back." He glanced over at Spark as he spoke, the Pichu not noticing the look with his eyes closed.

"What do you mean?"

Dragonair moved closer before replying, keeping pace with my brisk walk. "Just because a Dragonair _can_ alter the weather doesn't mean he _should_. It could be very damaging to alter weather on a whim."

"And what does that mean?" I grumbled. Dragonair shook his head slowly, blinking the water from his eyes.

"If I halted the rain here, the wind would carry the clouds as normal, still carrying the moisture within until it is out of range of my aura. At which point, it will release the rain as normal, maybe more if it has accumulated more moisture since then," he explained. "The area we passed through lost their rainfall, and the next area gained it."

"So?"

"Plants and animals depending on that natural source of water lost out on the replenishing rain, and if a Dragonair lingers in a certain area for too long, the damage could be on a much higher scale, because how many do you think go out of their way to make sufficient rainfall in their territory?" Dragonair replied. "The same is true for other weathers. Keeping a constant temperature level can create permanent damage, especially if some life requires specific temperature ranges or conditions."

"But we're not staying here long, so what does it matter?"

Dragonair grinned a little. "I think the safety of an ecosystem overrides the convenience of three individuals, don't you?"

"You can't alter the weather at all, can you?" I challenged. Dragonair smiled, but didn't answer. Most people would assume he was dodging the question, but I knew better than that. I also knew it was pointless to continue the argument if we weren't in real danger from the rain. It was damn annoying, but that was it.

Grumbling under my breath, I picked up my pace. The trees wouldn't serve as good rain shelter, and if we could get to a city, shelter would be plentiful. Dragonair would probably argue against going too close to the cities, but I didn't care. He wouldn't figure out what direction I was going until we were closer, and by that point the need for shelter would override whatever risk factor might present itself. Besides, he brought me into this mess, so he owed me a risky venture without complaint.

A depressing blanket of black and gray clouds covered the sky, drawing me into the embrace of moodiness. I didn't want to be walking so much and missing out on training time, all while possibly being hunted for betraying the organization I had spent most of my life with. A growl left my throat. This wasn't the type of thoughts I wanted bouncing around my head now. Curse this rain and its effects on my temperament.

Lightning blazed across the dark sky, and in that moment of light, I saw the outline of a city just up ahead. My spirits rose at the sight and I picked up my pace, wincing when the jog agitated my injured leg. The bleeding had stopped and the water had washed away the traces, but the soreness and pain lingered. I didn't care about the pain; the chance to get to the city and find shelter from the rain was the greatest priority to me. I was dimly aware Dragonair hadn't matched my pace, but didn't think much of it until I reached the sign welcoming people to Saffron. I looked back, about to continue on into the city, but stopped, blinking. It was difficult to see far in the darkness of the rainfall, but a convenient flash of lightning confirmed what I initially thought; Dragonair hadn't kept up.

I frowned. What was he up to? I can imagine he simply chose not to follow me to the city, but he could have at least told me he wasn't going to follow. And why hadn't he kept up with me? I hadn't been going that fast, and someone as overprotective as him would at least make sure I didn't get lost from him. He had been carrying Spark, so this made his disappearance all the stranger.

Another rumble of thunder escaped the clouds and I sighed. My options were to continue into the city and seek shelter, but probably lose track of Dragonair and be in the middle of freaking nowhere with no place to live, no place to go, and no one to be with. That would make my day so much better when I'm in a weakened state. Next thing I know, some human might decide to ambush me and I wouldn't be able to defend myself. I internally cringed at the thought. My other option was to backtrack through the rain, ignore my desire for shelter, and see where the hell the dragon had gotten to.

Lightning lit the sky once more and I squinted, straining to see past the haze of water to maybe see the silhouette of a levitating serpent, lagging behind me but still nearby. The area was empty. I cursed under my breath and set off in the direction I came, swiveling my gaze whenever lightning flashed. Still, I found nothing. What the hell? I had gone straight for several minutes on relatively level ground. If he was playing a joke on me, he was just asking to be raked with my claws. Steam was rising up from my tail flame, which I flared up with a quick burst of fire, for a moment hoping the intensifying flame would draw Dragonair's attention. The wind hadn't been that strong, so the odds of him getting blown off course without my tail flame leading him was unlikely. Prank was looking real likely about now, and I was not amused.

Without warning, I slammed into something and tripped over it, yelping in pain and glaring at the offending object. It had been too soft to be a rock, yet shaped so strangely I wasn't sure what I'd see. A flash of lightning overhead revealed the yellow-green body of a Weepinbell, its eyes closed as if in sleep and a contented expression suggesting that it hadn't even felt me slamming into it. I backed off uneasily, never letting my eyes leave the plant until I was a reasonable distance away. A smaller burst of light fizzled to my right and I turned, readying my claws, only to realize a moment later the source was the crackling cheeks of a familiar Pichu.

"What the...?" I blinked, all at once catching sight of the scene. Dragonair was here, hovering off to the side, his gaze fixed upon something I couldn't see. Damn rain. Even when lightning and a thunder crack passed through the sky, I couldn't see what the dragon was fixed upon. What I could see was the electricity pulsing from his body, a Thunderbolt waiting to be released and conducted by the storm. I swiveled my gaze back to the motionless Weepinbell and tentatively approached it. The small flame at the end of my tail sputtered, but I reignited its strength again. It wasn't until I was inches from the Weepinbell that it spoke.

"Stay where you are, Charmander," it said, its voice dismissive and cold. I bared my claws and pointed them towards the plant, narrowing my eyes. That voice...it was the same as the plant that had spoken to Fang before, but had left when I had been found out. Just who was this Pokémon and what did it want?

"Who are you?" I demanded. What was it doing here? Was it somehow related to Dragonair's delay?

A soft, malicious chuckle escaped the Weepinbell's mouth. The sound easily carried through the howling wind and pattering rain, unfazed by the crashing of thunder or the lightning, and still managed to send a shiver down my spine. I flexed my claws and readied myself to strike. "Nightmare," it said at last, addressing the air, rather than me. I narrowed my eyes.

"Your name's Nightmare?" I growled. The Weepinbell chuckled again.

"No."

I was about to demand a more concrete answer when a black shape appeared in front of me. It seemed at first to be nothing but a shadow, yet as I watched, a fog of purple smoke expanded from the hovering black sphere, forming a mist around it. Twin eyes, large and almost comical, opened from the black sphere, followed by the appearance of a mouth with two large fangs. I blinked and instinctively recoiled a pace, eyeing the being warily. It seemed like a gaseous form rather than a living creature and at once I detected eeriness from both beings.

_"You called, Master?"_ the creature spoke with a strange, partial echo of a voice. The words seemed to bounce around within my head like telepathy, yet at the same time could be heard like an actual voice, creating an odd effect as the words were understood both within and outside the head.

"I did," the Weepinbell replied. "As Volt attends to our Dragonair guest, I want you to attend to this insolent Charmander, Nightmare." A short pause. "I prefer incapacitated to dead, if you can."

_"Of course, my master,"_ the ethereal creature murmured, in a tone of great reverence. It faced me and its eyes glinted an ominous white. The Weepinbell did not move at all, remaining just outside the reach of my claws, but for some reason my mind wanted me to neglect its presence, a detail my fighting experience warned me never to do. A dormant foe could rise up and crush you the moment you drop your guard. I just would have to make sure I didn't do that, then.


	21. Nightmare Encounter

**Ember POV**

One moment the gaseous being was in front of me, the next it was gone. Disappeared as if it had never existed. I tensed, sensing a trick, my eyes scanning the immediate area warily. I didn't stay in one spot, but backed up, pivoting in a circle to get a better view, my head turning this way and that. At my sides, my claws flexed, ready for action. The rain overhead splashed off my orange scales, forcing me to blink whenever water trickled too closely to my eyes. Lightning lit up the dark sky, but still there was no sight of the gas cloud.

I couldn't see far ahead enough to know what Dragonair was doing, but from the Weepinbell's comment, I wouldn't be shocked if he was in a situation just like mine; engaged in combat with some unseen enemy. I took a deep, cleansing breath, blowing away all uncertainty from my mind. All that mattered right now was not the rain, not Dragonair, and not the unsettling feeling in my gut. What mattered was the battle before me, and even if I couldn't see where my opponent was, I knew it was around. It wouldn't leave without doing anything, not after being directed to engage me.

I waited, continuing to swivel in all directions, taking note of every rain-soaked detail of my surroundings in the time it took for the gaseous creature to return. To be able to disappear like that...it had to be a ghost Pokémon. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I wanted to hit myself for my stupidity. A Gastly. That's what it was, a ghost Pokémon made from gases. They weren't commonly seen among the Rocket ranks, but even then I should have known better.

A cold shiver raced down my spine and I whirled around, just in time to see a rush of movement, but could do nothing before something burned against my chest with enough force to knock me onto my back. I gasped as pain erupted from my back and chest alike, the latter pain burning into my nerves. I pushed myself to my feet, spinning around with greater urgency, every motion and sound drawing my attention, yet my eyes could see nothing at all. Nothing but the rain around me.

I pivoted again, this time seeing a gaseous form before me. Without hesitation, I lunged forward and brought my claws down upon the front of the Gastly's form, blinking in alarm when my paw _passed right through it_. A cold sensation met my paw and the ghostly being let out an echoing chuckle that reverberated around me. My brain locked up and fear clouded my senses. It was a ghost Pokémon...a ghost was impossible to harm with claws.

I changed tactics, letting my flame rise up and fill my body with warmth. In the same motion, I exhaled and then spat a fireball. It was my typical size, albeit smaller than the average fire-user's fireballs, but as I watched, the water and wind of the storm diffused the flaming projectile into mere embers long before it reached the ghost, which simply darted to the side, grinning at my feeble attempt to burn him.

Purple and black energy of some sort seeped from the Gastly's body, surrounding me and closing in swiftly, bombarding my body with flashes of pain and cold. I stumbled back and the ghost vanished. I swiveled, expecting it to appear behind me, but found myself looking at empty air. A force hit me from the side and I staggered, my feet slipping on the muddy grass below. The Gastly reappeared, and this time a sphere of ghostly purple energy appeared before it, firing towards me without warning. I raised my arm to defend myself, crying out when it detonated upon my acid-burned scales. Gasping in pain, I cradled my injured arm, backing away from the ghost and finding myself tumbling to the ground when my foot caught onto a tree root or something. Still, I scrambled back, gritting my teeth to keep from crying.

Lightning lit the sky and for a moment, I felt like a kit again, cringing from the light and noise of a storm, my tail flame flickering as I fought to find shelter. The tree beside me was the best I had, and I clung to the bark of its trunk as if holding for dear life. The wind blew water into my eyes and I fixed my head down, shivering as the cold threatened to overwhelm my defenseless body.

It felt like hours before I could lift my head up again, and I found myself eye to eye with the Gastly. It grinned widely and its eyes took on a hypnotic allure, a subtle blue color to contrast the black pupils. I averted my gaze hastily, only for waves of purple energy to strike against my chest, knocking me back. Rain splashed in puddles all around me, but I refused to move. To move would be to look back into the eyes of the ghost, and to stay down was to not get hurt more. The rain could soak me all it wanted, extinguish my flame and make me cold. Yet the pain in my arms and chest urged me not to stay still. I had to move, I had to fight. I wasn't a child. I wasn't weak. I wasn't helpless, but how could I fight back without claws? I couldn't hurt it, but it could hurt me.

Once again, the chill of the Gastly's presence wormed its way to my brain. I rolled to the side, managing to get back up. The ghost gazed at me with an amused expression, and the sight of that look made my blood boil. I hate that look! That's the look of someone who doesn't take you seriously, the look of someone who thinks they're so much better than you or believes you have no purpose aside from entertainment.

The rumble of thunder acted as a signal for motion and I kicked off the ground, using the provided momentum to charge the ghostly being. It didn't move, and why should it? It already knew I couldn't hurt it with my claws, and in the rain, my fireballs wouldn't do much good at a distance. The mistake was assuming I planned to do either of those. The Gastly's body glowed and a black ring of energy expanded towards me. I hastily veered to the side, losing my attack opportunity, but drawing the ghost's full attention. It launched another one of those black energy rings, but none of them came close.

Well, that is until the gaseous Pokémon disappeared, only to reappear right in front of me. I spun, half from instinct, half from intention, and slashed my blazing tail at the ghost's face, letting the flame flare up before contact. With a startled gasp, the ghost recoiled, a fresh line of red cutting across its face. The red glow didn't last long, and when it was gone, the Gastly scowled. I glared back, flexing my claws aggressively, despite knowing they had no use in this fight. I had to think of some sort of counter strategy. That's what I did; if claws and fire were useless, look for a different tactic. Unfortunately, I didn't have much in my frankly pitiful arsenal that could effectively hurt a ghost Pokémon, and there was even less to improvise with during a rainstorm.

As if knowing it had me on the ropes, the ghost disappeared. I growled under my breath, a sound that could barely be heard over the rain. Shouldn't that be dying down sometime soon? Ugh, it made this fighting even harder on me. I shouldn't even be in a fight at all, but instead doing something to rest these injuries off. True, they had improved to some degree, but the acid damage was still hitting me hard, more so if that ghost kept hitting me!

The Gastly reappeared, launching another orb of energy, but I dodged quickly, only to find that the ghost had vanished again. I pivoted, just in time to see the ghost rematerialize and send another of those projectiles. This time I had to leap out of the way, and the ghost reappeared in yet another spot, sending yet another sphere of energy. I cried out when the attack found its mark, detonating against my scales and bowling me over. A growl of mingled frustration and pain leapt from my throat as I hit the ground, my scales burning in protest when I sat up and pushed myself back to my feet.

_"Don't you ever give up?"_ the Gastly demanded, its echoing tone carrying notes of incredulity. I didn't answer, instead swiping my claws at its face. My paw passed through it harmlessly and I mentally slapped myself for the stupid move. The Gastly rolled its eyes and a ring of black energy slammed against my chest, reintroducing my backside to the ground. _"You really should consider it. It'll save you a lot of pain and embarrassment."_

"You attacked me," I spat, getting up. Despite my bravado, my legs shook from the strain of getting up again. The Gastly heaved a sigh.

_"Then you leave me no choice."_ With that, it faded out and I blinked, not sure what that meant. My battle instincts kicked in a moment later. It couldn't be running away, it was preparing a sneak attack of some sort, I'm certain of it. I hastily backed away from the Gastly's origin point and swiftly assessed my surroundings. Even in the glow of my flame and flickers of lightning, there was nothing but a tree, grass, water and mud as far as the eye could see. None of those were any use for attacking or defending against a ghost.

"Show yourself!" I snapped to the air, not even sure if it could hear me over the rain, or if it was even near me or lying in wait. Did ghosts teleport or just turn invisible? The thought had never occurred to me before now, and I'll probably never get an answer for that, but either way, it was a good question.

The gaseous creature materialized directly in front of me, its fanged mouth curled into an eerie grin. I tensed, and then spat a hasty fireball at point-blank range. Without time to fade out, the fireball hit its mark and the Gastly recoiled. I took the moment to close the distance between us and launch two more fireballs at its face. Unfortunately, the Gastly faded out to avoid the attacks and reappeared to my left. I spun, spitting as many small fireballs as I could, only to find that they hit nothing but air when the ghost chose to disappear yet again. I clenched my fists in frustration and turned, my eyes scanning for the ghost. In the meantime, I let my flame rise higher, readying a stronger burst of fire within my mouth.

I could soon feel the Gastly's presence behind me, and I didn't hesitate to spin and deliver a direct stream of fire into its gaseous body. I didn't let up the flames until my breath was gone, and then I hunched over, gasping for air. Fire breath attacks, especially ones that were sustained for so long, were absolutely draining for me to use. I didn't use fire under most circumstances because of that. Through the haze of smoke and rain, I could see the Gastly with a comically alarmed expression, its form looking charred, but even with a singed main body, it didn't _look_ like it was in any pain.

All of a sudden, my legs were tugged out from under me and my muzzle was painfully introduced to the muddy ground. Groaning, I looked back and saw a green vine curled tightly around my leg. A stroke of lightning allowed my eyes to follow the vine to that of the closed-eye Weepinbell. Mew damn it. Even when I made a mental note not to forget about it, I still did.

"That will do, Nightmare, thank you," the plant praised. The Gastly frowned, not looking particularly convinced about something. "No, that was sincere. Ten points to you."

_"Thank you, Master,"_ the Gastly murmured and then faded out. I narrowed my eyes and spat a small fireball at the vine around my leg. The fire fizzled upon contact with the vine, the rainwater turning my already feeble fire completely useless. I knew it was no use trying to stand with it controlling the vine around my ankle and for some reason, I honestly didn't care that I was in this position. The Weepinbell wasn't hurting me, tugging on the vine, or moving at all for that matter. I could take this interlude to catch my breath.

"You are a persistent battler, Charmander," the Weepinbell spoke softly, yet somehow I could hear it clearly over the pattering of the rain. Even the thunder did nothing to drown out the words. "Your determination is admirable, even when the situation is assuredly out of your favor." Its voice was so...eerie, as if the voice was immune to interference and was instead speaking directly to my brain. The tone was thoughtful and calm, showing little emotion and thereby giving no indication of where the conversation was going. I know Weepinbell are carnivores, which naturally implanted some eerie images into my head.

I said nothing, only cast an irritated glare over my shoulder and tugged my foot, hoping for a moment to get free of the bind, but it held fast and I sighed. If only I could get close enough with my paw to cut myself free...

The plant chuckled, the same laugh I had heard before when it had been speaking to Fang. Devoid of true joy, and replaced by something subtly malicious. "I thought you were merely insolent before, but now I see you as something far more interesting. Tell me your name, Charmander."

I narrowed my eyes. "Who wants to know?" I growled. A fork of lightning split open the sky, brighter than all the flashes that had come before it. All at once, its eyes were open, staring into my own as if they had never been shut, and for the first time, I could clearly see the plant's yellow pupils. I shuddered, yet for the life of me couldn't look away from those eyes. They stared past mine with an eerie, forever piercing gaze, freezing me where I lay. The Weepinbell smirked.

"The name is Diablos."


	22. The Limit of Determination

**Ember POV**

Diablos...

There was something about the name that sent a nameless fear through me. Before now, the Weepinbell had been a nameless entity, eerie but anonymous. Now I had a name to call my foe, and that name shared the eerie vibe the being itself gave off.

It wasn't just the name, either. Everything about the plant Pokémon seemed off in some way. It had appeared before me more than once now, and had sent a Gastly upon me for the crime of being in the area. Then it had called the Gastly off, even though I had been getting thoroughly thrashed. What reasons did it have for that order? Why had it been talking to Fang before? What did it want now? Questions flowed from my mind like the water off my scales.

The eyes of the Weepinbell unnerved me, as well it should. Yellow eyes that seemed to gleam even in the darkness of the storm, and a gaze that seemed to stare beyond its focus point. Whenever my eyes met the Weepinbell's own, I felt like I was being examined in a way that looks could not accomplish, as if I had been placed under a bright light and X-rayed. It was so unnerving, and made the cold tingle along my back feel even colder.

I tugged my leg experimentally, hoping to find some sort of weakness in the vine binding it, but to no avail. It held fast and didn't even stretch to accommodate the tug. Moving my leg would not be breaking this any time soon, and my fire earlier had done nothing. Mew damn this storm and the rain accompanying it. Even my fire would be able to burn through a vine if it weren't for the raindrops assaulting my body and flame. I glanced back at the Weepinbell and was alarmed to find the yellow eyes still upon me, observing my actions and behavior with veiled amusement. I growled, flexing my claws. The constant attention was putting me on edge. What did this plant even want from me or Dragonair? How was Dragonair doing with...whatever was going on with him? I knew he wasn't far away, but the darkness of the storm made it difficult to locate him without losing focus on the threats nearby.

Seeing no other option, I threw caution to the wind and pitched my upper body forward, placing the vine around my leg in range of my claws. I slashed my claws quickly, hearing the vine break with a satisfying snap. Once free, I pushed myself to my feet, glaring warily at Diablos. Part of my instincts warned me not to wait for it to retaliate, and after a fraction of a pause, my body agreed. I darted forward, drawing my paw back and jabbing at the Weepinbell. A vine lashed out from the plant's mouth like a whip, coiling around my wrist and tugging forward. My feet struggled to keep solid footing on the slippery earth to no avail, my body pitching forward and slapping against the wet grass, the impact forcing the air from my lungs.

"A valiant effort, Charmander," Diablos commented quietly. I raised my head and glared, to which the Weepinbell chuckled. "Calm yourself. Your growing anger will only cloud your mind and judgment. If you want to fight me so badly, you must be cautious, but not afraid."

"What?" I stared at the Weepinbell. What did it mean by that?

Diablos chuckled again. "Recklessness will invariably lead to mistakes. You charged into battle and have paid for your rashness. And rather than learn from it, you turned to anger. Emotion is natural and encouraged, but not if you can't use it properly. All tools and methods have a con, and your quickness to anger results in a reduced defense. If you use the anger alone, that is."

"Well that cleared up everything," I growled, using my free paw to slice the vine from my wrist, the loose end still looped around the paw. Once free of the bind, I spat a fireball at the Weepinbell, aiming more to distract it so I could get closer, but the rain and the weakness of my tail flame created a truly pathetic ball of embers that came nowhere near to hitting Diablos. In addition, I now had the Weepinbell's full attention.

"Another reckless move," Diablos mused. "Your persistence is giving way to stubborn foolishness. That simply will not do, Charmander." I charged forward at these words, darting to the side when Diablos fired a predictable vine at me. The loss in momentum was worth getting by unscathed, and I seized this opportunity to close the distance between us, slashing my claws in a downwards vertical line. The slickness of the rain-soaked plant's body meant the claws slipped down the body, rather than catch hold or tear into it. It was possible that the Weepinbell's body was especially resistant to damage, but the rain was easier to blame.

I jabbed with my left paw, seeing that my first slash had next to no effect at the earlier angle. This time, Diablos moved backwards to dodge, my paw striking nothing but air. I stepped forward and tried again, and this time the jab was blocked by one of the two leaves adorning the bell Pokémon's sides. I lashed a foot out, surprising myself by making contact and knocking the plant backwards, but soon felt the Weepinbell's vine snag around my leg and pull it out from under me. I yelled and hit the ground, rolling quickly onto my side to avoid giving Diablos a second opportunity to strike when I was at a strategic disadvantage. Unfortunately, Diablos didn't seem to need a second opportunity because the vine attached to my leg literally lifted me off the ground and flipped me over and slammed me against the ground, the air once again being forced out of me by the impact.

Groaning and feeling lightheaded and winded, I stood, making sure to first cut the vine with a swish of my claws to prevent an encore of the tactic. Diablos responded by bombarding me with razor-edged leaves somehow conjured by slashing its leaves in a diagonal direction. I instinctively countered with a fireball, but found that my tail flame had dwindled down to a level where my fireballs fizzled out upon contact with the rain. I had to throw myself to the side just to avoid the flurry of bladed leaves. I don't even want to know how badly those would have hurt to be hit with.

Determined not to lose face, I began to circle around the Weepinbell, flexing my claws and keeping a close eye on every one of the plant's motions. Diablos chuckled, pivoting its body to keep track of my own movements, and seemingly making sure never to remove me from its sight. Every time I moved, the Weepinbell did similarly, keeping me in view and stopping me from getting closer without putting me at risk from some sort of defense lying in wait. More than once, I had to urge myself to focus. Those eerie eyes seemed to never blink naturally, and the longer I watched the eyes, the more eerie and unsettling they became. They seemed so intense, yet so cold and indifferent that I couldn't help but shiver if I held eye contact for longer than a moment. The seconds of watching the eyes immediately came to bite me when yet another vine lashed towards me from the Weepinbell's mouth. I did manage to duck the vine, but the sudden retaliation was an excellent wake up call to remind me that Diablos was an opponent, not an object to study.

Diablos spun around, the vine from before swinging around and striking me in the gut with a sound like a whip crack, sending a stripe of concentrated agony through my nerves. It hadn't hit my acid burns, but it still brought tears to my eyes and an agonized whine from my throat. I fell to my knees, clutching my stomach. Feeling sick to my stomach and shivering, I looked up at the Weepinbell, a defiant glare nevertheless plastered upon my face. I wouldn't give it the satisfaction of me cowering, even if I was on my knees and in such pain I couldn't fight. The vine swung around again and slapped across my muzzle. I yelped and fell back, all but writhing from the intensity of the searing pain in my gut and nose.

"Don't you see? Your persistence amounts to nothing if you are not properly driven, Charmander. You fight for the sake of fighting, and in the end, when the chips are down, you will fold rather than take the plunge," Diablos said.

I clenched my paws tightly, hoping to Mew that the pain throbbing through me would die down. I buried my face in my arms, gritting my teeth and struggling not to cry. It just hurt so much it was difficult to endure.

Diablos continued speaking, and his tone was layered with mild disgust and disappointment. "Anger is only so much inspiration, and your determination has only so much fuel. When the emotion dies, you will have nothing to fall back upon. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking you're better than this...that you only lost this badly because of previous injuries. And to some degree, you are correct. However, until you are fueled by a powerful motivation, you will never truly excel. Common emotions can only do so much."

"We have a slight problem," an unfamiliar voice said, cutting into the speech, but when I lifted my head, the rain and darkness ensured that I couldn't see the speaker.

"Problem? What kind of problem?" Diablos asked, moving its gaze away from me and towards the speaker. I squinted through the darkness, following the Weepinbell's gaze. A flash of lightning showed a dark, canine silhouette, but with the haze of water, I couldn't make out features.

"He left."

Diablos blinked. "How?"

There was an awkward pause before the second speaker responded, its tone serious, but unconcerned. "He flew straight up and is some hundred feet above the ground. Nothing I have can even get close to him, and then he took off."

"Such a clever dragon," Diablos mused. "Took the Pichu with him, no doubt. Well, no matter. Another time." The Weepinbell shot a glance towards its companion, who had begun to voice a protest, the look silencing him in an instant. "Do not forget the value of patience and compromise, Volt. There are bigger fish to fry, and you get an early jump on this weekend. Come along, now." With that, the Weepinbell moved away, soon disappearing into the darkness the storm cast, leaving me alone with the water and my pain.

It took an incredible amount of willpower to push myself into a sitting position and I looked down at my stomach, unsurprised to see an inflamed red line across the white scales of my stomach. Just looking at it made me wince. I checked the rest of my body over, not finding many other severe injuries, but I felt and looked worse for wear regardless. My tail flame had died down to mere embers of its former strength, and the slowly receding rain threatened to snuff it out completely. With my flame so low for so long, any fire breath I had was so pathetic it took me three tries to spit a fireball powerful enough to give the tail flame a much-needed boost. Once that was accomplished, I climbed slowly to my feet, looking skyward for some indication that Dragonair was nearby.

The worst part of the scenario was that I don't think Dragonair ever knew I had backtracked, so he may have gone ahead to the city to try to catch up to me, and of course, I wasn't even there. Oh joy.

And so I set off, staggering in the direction of the city once more, cursing my luck from the past two days. So far, I've been forced to walk several miles in a matter of hours, get bitten by an Ekans, associated with an alleged traitor, burned with snake acid, rained upon for Mew knows how long, bombarded with attacks from a Gastly, thrown around by a Weepinbell, and now I'm going to be walking again, while separated from Dragonair and Spark, who may or may not even realize I was nearby. The main consolation is that if they went to the city looking for me, there were only so many places I would go, and the first place to check would be the Pokémon hospital, considering my injuries. In fact, now I had so many injuries from various sources, I should just check in as soon as possible and save myself the grief of Dragonair nagging me to get them checked out. I had ignored the bites and the soreness and the burns, but the injuries just kept coming and if I didn't get some damn good rest and treatment, they weren't going to get better.

The real question for me was how long this streak of bad luck was going to hold.


	23. Pokemon Center Interview

**Dragonair POV**

It turns out, but comes as no surprise, that Spark hates heights. I discovered this by, how else, introducing him to heights. With him safely held in my coils, I was convinced he'd be all right, but that reassurance was not passed down to the Pichu, who pleaded for me to put him down while crying his eyes out about it, electricity shooting from his cheeks every few seconds. Judging by his little squeals of pain, the electricity was somehow hurting him in addition to stinging my scales. The shocks I indirectly received were easy enough to shrug off, but it wasn't until I was nearer to the city that I obliged in reducing my altitude.

The sky was just barely starting to clear up, a relief to Spark in itself, and the torrent had diminished to a heavy drizzle, which would be a relief to Ember if I had a clue where she was. The three of us had been going to the city, the Charmander leading the way. I had assumed she was looking for shelter, being a fire type with a vulnerable flame and a severe dislike for rainstorms. We hadn't been that far from the city when Spark had freaked out over something, and when I went to look, some sort of Pokémon had attacked me.

At the time, I wasn't sure on what it was, except that it was a quadruped barely discernable from the shadows the storm had created, nor could I figure out why I was being attacked. After several minutes of exchanging blows with the shadows, I started to get the impression that the entire fight was nothing more than a game, or even driven by impulse, rather than my initial belief that Spark and I had crossed too far into its territory.

I had sustained a number of smaller injuries, but even small injuries were something to be concerned about, taking into account how defensive my scales were against a variety of assaults. One or two areas may still have been a little tender from the Ekans' acid attack they had taken the other day, but that was a feeble explanation. The Houndour or whatever it had been utilized some sort of hit-and-run tactic that may as well have been the antithesis of my battle strategy, because I found myself backed into a corner. If I had continued the fight, I probably would have won with firepower and endurance alone, but I just didn't see how it would be worth it. Instead, I had scooped up Spark in my tail and took to the air. From this angle, I could have bombarded the Houndour with a variety of attacks, but with it sheltered by the darkness, this again would have been more trouble than it was worth.

Spark's panicked crying subsided once we were closer to the safety of the ground and he eventually stopped sniffling. Good, because the sound was starting to get on my nerves anyway, and I would have a better chance finding the Charmander if I could focus on the task rather than the anxious Pichu in my coils. The streets of the city were all but deserted, but that wasn't a shock, considering the intensity of the storm. Anyone who stayed outdoors was either homeless, stupid, or had some urgent reason to be outdoors. The rain gutters on either side of the road formed enormous puddles, and from a glance, many homes and businesses had experienced a power outage.

Well, this could be a pain. With so much of the city overrun by electrical failure, and no noticeable outdoor shelters, I'd have to search the whole damn city for Ember, unless she got over her stubbornness about her earlier injuries and went to the city Pokémon hospital. Probably the best place to start, anyway.

With a sigh, I turned down a side road, my eyes scanning the signs for an indication of where the Pokémon-based businesses were. Pokémon trainers were far from rarities, and so Pokémon Centers and convenience stores often had backup generators to support the constant supply of injured Pokémon or customers. In my eyes, it was only a matter of time before Pokémon lifestyles became so ingrained in society that Pokémon themselves could run for office, replace human jobs, own their own Pokémon, and vote. I snickered at the thought. Okay, so maybe I was exaggerating a little. The majority of Pokémon in the world were either trained or wild, so the notion of any societal changes was absurd.

The city Pokémon Center was easy to distinguish from the other city buildings in part because it looked so generic. While the rest of the buildings looked like skyscrapers in training, the hospital was only one floor and was clearly labeled as a Pokémon Center, complete with an enormous Pokeball insignia. Normally, I'd criticize the lack of design creativity, but it occurred to me that the generic nature was to ease Pokémon trainers into recognizing the centers and trusting their services. I know one or more of the centers were either set up or owned by Rocket sympathizers, but I never bothered to follow up on the information to deduce the organization's investments or gain from such arrangements, nor where they were located.

I headed towards the doors, noticing that the storm was starting to subside and glad that there were no trainers in front of me. I lowered my head so I wouldn't smack it against the ceiling just in front of the doorway, and made to go through the sliding glass doors...

...and discovered the automatic opener was triggered by weight sensors, rather than motion. Celebi damn it. I withdrew from the doors, a little dazed and peered through the glass, seeing a fat pink shape rushing over. The doors slid open with a little 'ding' and the Chansey rushed to where I was, squealing questions about my well-being in a bright and chipper tone barely laced with concern.

"Ow..." I groaned, more from the pitch of her questions than any physical agony. The Chansey started to guide me into the building the best she could, and before long I was inside the lobby. It was white tiled, another generic quality, and the lobby, although not empty, seemed almost entirely deserted. There was a man reading a newspaper and a young teen dozing in another chair, but aside from the nursing staff, that seemed to be it.

"Are you injured? Would you like to have these checked out?" the Chansey asked, prodding me. I winced as a momentary jolt of pain shot through me from the contact and I frowned at her.

"Don't touch. And maybe, but I have a few questions."

"Questions?" the Chansey asked with wide, innocent eyes. "Um...I can get the head nurse for that..." she cast an uneasy look behind her, a look I knew only too well among the Rockets. That was the look of someone who had no idea what she was doing and needed to get a higher-up to compensate. Such looks were usually cast by the newer grunts, but their Pokémon had that tendency as well. Often that look was used to direct concerns TO me, and in a hospital, such looks were never a good sign.

"Okay fine, go get her," I said. The Chansey scurried off and I muttered to myself. Spark squirmed, reminding me that I was still holding him. I set him down, but hissed at him to stay close. The last thing I needed, or at least extremely low on the list of necessity, was for the kit to start running around the hospital, causing trouble.

The Chansey returned within a few minutes, half-dragging a larger, fatter Pokémon with fluffier features around its stomach egg and body. The Chansey smiled nervously, and then made a hasty retreat. The Blissey studied me with barely apparent surprise. I'd be pretty shocked to see a Dragonair in a Pokémon Center with no obvious human accompanying it.

"My nurse informs me you have some inquiries?" the Blissey asked. Her tone was angelic, but with undertones of impatience. "How may I help you...sir?" she guessed.

"Good guess. Yes, I was wondering if you've recently received a Charmander patient. You see, I-"

"Patient information is classified to all but the immediate trainer or family, although exceptions are made in the case of the one checking it in, if requiring urgent care." She gave me a faint smile. "The good people who find severely injured Pokémon and rescue them like to hear they did a good deed."

"That's wonderful," I said blandly. "Now, I'm only asking if she came in here."

"The policy will not be waived to appease curiosity."

"It's not-" I sputtered, then scowled. "I'm not curious; it's a genuinely important piece of knowledge. If she's getting treated here, I won't waste my time running around the city, and if she's not, I won't waste my time wondering if she's here."

"I'm sorry, sir, but you are not an exception to our policy. It's for the privacy of our patients and their safety that we do not disclose information to-"

I glared, for a moment contemplating the consequences of telling the Blissey what she could do with her 'policies', but decided against it. After all, it's very bad form to piss off the staff of a hospital, otherwise known as the 'people who make sure you don't die'.

The Blissey evidently recognized that I was done arguing the point and smiled, becoming a model customer service representative in the blink of an eye. "Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?"

"Yes, if I check in for quick treatment, who watches the kit?" I asked, pointing my tail at Spark, who was staring at something on the ceiling with a look of profound fascination on his face. I snuck a glance at the ceiling, but didn't see anything of interest. In a flash, the Pichu turned, pointed a paw at me, and started giggling.

"Me get you!" he laughed, tears falling from his eyes. I frowned. Such a mature child. I'm surprised he even knew that gag in the first place. What on earth did his parents teach him? The Blissey fought to keep a straight face as I turned back to face her.

"Maybe you have a padded room for the toddlers?" I asked. "Or for the people who have to put up with toddlers?"

The Blissey didn't look amused at this remark. Figures, the medical staff had no sense of humor. Or, more likely, it manifested as dark humor. "We are not a-"

"I never said you were," I interrupted sharply. "But surely you've encountered situations where an adult Pokémon has checked in and had to bring their kits with them?"

"We are a Pokémon Center, sir. More often than not, the Pokémon we provide services to are owned by trainers in some sense of the word, and are accompanied by such. We do not normally take wild Pokémon off the streets, although yes, it is not unheard of for a wild Pokémon to seek our services. However, you do realize that most of those cases are Pokémon whose trainers abandoned them or have otherwise been domesticated to a degree where they recognize our Centers?"

I raised an eye scale. "I get a feeling that you're trying to make some sort of point, but maybe it's getting lost in translation, because I can't make heads or tails of it. You normally don't take wilds, but you do. Most wilds in those cases are former trainer-owned or domesticated, but the only significance of that is they recognize Pokémon Centers for what they are. That's all fascinating information, but it doesn't apply here. I have never stated whether I'm trainer owned, wild, or domesticated, and I clearly know what a Pokémon Center is because I'm here. How does this relate to my original question of what kits do when their supervisor is being cared for?"

"You see, most patients with kits either leave their kits with their trainer, or in a Pokeball, if not their mate," the Blissey explained calmly. "You chose to bring your charge with you."

"Out of necessity, I assure you. Now, since you were unable to confirm whether my Charmander companion has come in, I'm left with few options of who to watch the kit while I get some of these wounds checked out," I said sweetly.

"I see," the Blissey mused, watching Spark dash to the other side of the lobby. I sighed. That kit is never going to learn to stay close, was he? Where was Ember when I needed her?

As if the thought was the cue, the sliding glass doors opened behind me with a ding. I spun around, praying to Celebi that Spark hadn't triggered the doors, but no, the Pichu was still by the lobby benches. He squealed happily and raced towards the door in a blur of yellow. I moved to block his path, but stopped when he tackled the Charmander at the door in a hug, prompting a yelp of pain.

"What the...?" I gaped at Ember. Her scales still had the acid burns at her chest and arm, but there were more injuries now. Dirt clung to the normally vibrant orange scales, making them look brown. Her tail flame was reduced to a size that made it impossible to call it a 'flame' with any credibility, and she was scraped and bruised all over her body, as if something had pummeled her repeatedly. "What the hell happened to you?"

Ember didn't get a chance to answer me before the Chansey from before rushed forward and began leading the Charmander towards the counter, squeaking questions, many of which Ember answered vaguely. The Blissey pointed a paw down a corridor and the Chansey quickly guided Ember in that direction, disappearing from view.

"Could I-?" I began, but the nurse shook her head. I sighed. "Fine, I'll wait out here. Spark, come here," I said, floating over to a deserted corner of the lobby. All thoughts of my own injuries were immediately dispelled upon seeing Ember's condition. We hadn't gotten separated that long, and she had been in much better condition before. What had happened since that Houndour attacked me? Had she wandered through the city and gotten mugged or something? Unlikely, since Pokémon weren't known for carrying money, and there weren't normally any territorial Pokémon lurking in the alleys of such large human cities.

I frowned. Ember's health was a higher priority, and I was relieved that she had found her way to the Pokémon Center. I'd figure out what had happened later, when she was taken care of. Until then, I'd keep track of Spark and make sure he didn't get in the way of the treatments. Besides, I had to finalize the planning for how to reunite the Pichu with his parents. I had the foundation already, but the finishing touches had yet to be implemented. I was basing my hopes that not all the Rocket facilities had heard of my alleged betrayal, so I couldn't afford to wait too long before putting it into motion. All things considering, there was one major adjustment I'd have to make…


	24. Tie Up Loose Ends

**Dragonair POV**

I don't have a clue how long Spark and I were waiting in the lobby. I never saw the logic to looking at the clock every few minute, so I deliberately positioned at an angle where even glimpsing the clock on the wall was next to impossible. Spark protested my suggestion of getting some sleep, but I persisted, proving myself to be even more stubborn than the kit because he grudgingly relented and closed his eyes. I can't help but wonder how his parents handled him at night, but brushed the curiosity aside. If everything went according to my rough plan, we'd soon be well on the way to recovering his parents before anything unfortunate happened. The real trick was to act as quickly as possible.

I must have dozed off at some point because when I opened my eyes again, it was pitch-black outdoors and the lobby was all but deserted. The humans I had seen upon coming in were gone, and Spark was snoozing cutely in my coils, where I had left him. Surrendering to the impulse, I craned my neck to see the clock on the wall. Hm, it must be just before dawn, unless Spark and I miraculously slept for a full day, which I think I can safely eliminate as a possibility.

"Excuse me," I said, drawing the attention of the human nurse at the desk. She gaped at me for a moment, blinking several times, as if she wasn't sure if she was actually awake. I smirked. Now _that_ is the type of mileage I hoped to get from my translation collar. "You are permitted to consider me a figment of your imagination, but I wouldn't advise it. People have gone mad for less."

"Er...can I help you?" the nurse asked uncertainly, still giving me a look that indicated she wasn't quite sure what to think.

"Did you just get here? I mean, I've been here since last night, just coiled up in this corner, but you're looking at me as if you're hallucinating. Hey, what you do in your free time is none of my business, but once you're on the clock, you might want to consider paying attention to your surroundings."

"I'm...sorry?" The nurse peered at me strangely, shaking her head.

"A friend of mine was receiving care and I was hoping you could give me some information as to her present condition," I said, carefully floating nearer, keeping Spark as immobile as possible, so as not to jolt him awake. The nurse raised an eyebrow politely. "Now, I am of the understanding that you do not disclose patient information to those not of an immediate relationship to the patient, however I am of the opinion that your Blissey was nitpicking and I will insist on the disclosure."

"Which patient?" the human asked, walking over to a stack of paperwork and clipboards, taking the topmost one.

"Female Charmander, presumably the most recently treated," I answered. I can only assume she was being treated or was resting, depending on how serious her condition was. A rainstorm hardly seemed something that would put the Ember I knew completely out of commission, but her condition had alarmed me upon seeing her. Whatever had hit her had to have happened recently, if not immediately between the time of our separation. Maybe the Houndour or Growlithe that had attacked me had had friends that went after her. I couldn't be sure, and I'd like to ask. However, several other concerns were working their way to the forefront of my mind.

"She is recovering nicely," the nurse responded. "Examinations and tests showed no symptoms of severe physical trauma, so the injuries were likely sustained in a battle scenario, rather than the initial impressions of some sort of abuse or overaggressive courting." I fought to keep a straight face. While I was pleased to hear that Ember was doing well, there was probably a reason doctors kept their incorrect diagnoses to themselves.

"So what kind of treatment is required?" I asked. It would be easy to make a few comments about the nurse's words, but again, I didn't feel it prudent to waste time or annoy those doing me favors in a hospital. She didn't technically have to be answering my inquiries at all, if the privacy policy wasn't a figment of the Blissey's imagination.

"Rest and some ointment for the scale damage, both which can received here or done as homecare," the nurse replied. I weighed the options over in my head.

"Could you give me a rough estimate of when she would be fully recovered, or is it too difficult or fickle to ascertain?" After all, if Ember needed to take longer to recover, it was best that she did so in one go. However, knowing her as I did, she wouldn't be content with lying around to heal. That was what I liked about her, after all. That's not to say I didn't find it to be a massive pain in the tail sometimes.

The nurse flipped a page of the clipboard, reading whatever was written on the second sheet. After scrolling down the page, she flipped the next one, until at last she looked up. "She will be fit to go home by this afternoon, if she's well-rested, and will make a steady recovery over the next few days. Treatment options are to avoid overexertion, to eat warm foods to counter the reduced body temperature and to apply the ointment onto her damaged scales for at least three days, twice a day minimum."

"How kind of you to avoid the medical lingo for the sake of the layman," I said. The nurse squinted at me, as if unsure whether I was making fun of her or not. Let's keep it that way. "In any case, then could I ask you a rather large favor?"

The nurse straightened up, setting the clipboard aside. "Depends on what you have in mind."

"I daresay I don't have to ask for you to keep caring for my Charmander friend until she's well enough to leave, but could you also hold on to this little guy until the same time?" I asked, lifting the sleeping Pichu up so the human could see him. She blinked at me inquisitively. "He's with the two of us, you see, but I have something to take care of that could take the rest of the day. To take him with me without her would be a tremendous burden, so if you could watch him or put him near her until I get back, which would be incredibly helpful."

The nurse bit her lip, considering Spark uncertainly. "I do have work to do here, and it's-"

"Not a daycare center? Well thank you for that key piece of information that I already knew. Like I said, this is not a long term arrangement, and he can be kept near the Charmander patient. The three of us are affiliated. I cannot take him with me, however, and I'm not dropping him off on some random doorstep. If he stays here, he'll be by someone he knows, and I'll return as soon as I finish what I'm taking care of."

The nurse's resistance seemed to be waning, and she gave me a curious look. She opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it again. Opened her mouth again, then stopped and remained silent. I raised an eye scale, not at all sure what was on her mind. Finally, she gave a quiet sigh. "Yes, we can take him for a short time," she gave me a stern look. "But we're also not an adoption clinic, so-"

"Perish the thought," I interrupted, setting the snoozing Pichu down on the counter. "Oh, and one more thing, if you could. She'll probably wonder where I went, so tell her I went ahead to Celadon, should be back by tonight."

"I'll tell the nursing staff. I won't know if she's wondering," the nurse said, gently picking up the sleeping Pichu and walking down the hall. I turned and headed to the sliding doors, my stomach giving a slight squirm. I hope Spark or Ember don't think I'm taking off on them. If Ember needed to rest, there was no chance she could do that if she came with me, and Spark couldn't possibly serve a purpose with the task ahead. Without them slowing me down, I could make great speed to the Celadon base ahead, do what I had to do, and then come back in a hurry. If everything went well, I'd be back long before nightfall.

I was literally knocked from my thoughts by my body crashing into the glass doors. My eye twitched. Celebi _damn_ these doors and their weight-triggered sensors. Rocket facilities didn't use automatic doors and if they did, they required a keycard, pass code, or just opened on motion sensor!

A Chansey, probably the same one from the other night, came rushing over to me. "Are you okay, sir?" she asked, her eyes anxious and her paws wringing themselves in agitation. "Is there anything I can do for you?" Not in the mood for her chipper desire to serve, I slapped my tail on the mat in front of the doors, triggering them to move to the sides.

"Make your doors user-friendly, for a start!" I snapped, and floated outside.


	25. Arc 3: Transfer Mission

It felt so good to be able to travel at my own pace and height, without having to deal with a Pichu or Ember's slower walking pace. The sky was just starting to acquire pink streaks to the clouds, the tip of the sun peeking out from beneath the horizon. Just as I thought, it was very early in the morning, and even though I had only one night to get the impression, I suspected that Spark wouldn't sleep much longer. I hope he doesn't get worried, or if he does, he'll be comforted by Ember's presence.

I felt a brief flicker of discomfort at the thought of Ember's reaction, but I needed to do this myself. Check that, I needed to make an excuse as to why I needed to do it myself. Knowing Ember, she would have dragged herself from the hospital bed and insist on accompanying me to the Celadon base, paying no regard for her need for rest and the greater investment in time that we couldn't afford if we were to recover Spark's parents before something happened to them. It had only taken a few days for Dr. Gravel to get Dominic to turn them over to him, even if my interest in the pair had prompted Dominic to withdraw the donations.

My plan was simple in theory, and the fewer complications I had in terms of companions to look out for, the more probable my chances of success would be. Ember wouldn't be satisfied with that answer, so I had to hope that I could take care of my objective without taking too long. Depending on how widespread the allegations of my betrayal had gone, this could be a simple in-and-out mission or a complex maze of hellish proportions. Wouldn't that be a joy to look forward to?

Boredom had been an interesting adversary some days, as oxymoronic as that sentence is, with me turning to several Rocket documents in order to combat the feeling. Through those documentations and printouts, I determined much of the locations of our facilities, so I knew exactly where I was going and what I was looking for. I had always wanted a grunt to lose one of those papers and for police to find them, just for the irony of every one of our facilities being mapped out clearly on them. It never happened to my knowledge, fortunately for the organization, but the amusing image never strayed far whenever I saw those documents.

The traveling was smooth, since the only reasonably likely obstacle was flying too high and attracting unnecessary attention. With my operation desiring a stealthier approach, and Team Rocket almost certainly looking for me, it would simply not do me well to draw attention to myself so readily. That wasn't even counting the consequences of getting spotted by any of the innumerable ten year olds running around with Caterpie and egos. To this day, I'm not entirely sure why the executives were so concerned about ten-year old vigilantes.

Before long, I could see Celadon City below, but it wasn't the city itself I was aiming for, but a building located at the outskirts of the city, away from the prying eyes of the public. There was a time where we Rockets kept a hidden base within the city itself, but it has long since been abandoned, serving no further purpose except for desperate storage or hideouts. The newer base was said to be on private property a half-mile from the city gates. From my vantage point, I could make out my destination: a large field surrounded by a barbed wire fence and several signs warning of the consequences of trespassing. All a farce; Team Rocket wouldn't dare bring law enforcement and police into matters involving a base. To do so would be to risk media or other law agencies catching wind of the real purpose of the property. For now, it was disguised as an independent power supplier, selling electricity and heating to the citizens of Celadon City.

I had no doubt a sizeable amount of income did indeed come from the cover business, but the inner workings of the building were undoubtedly of an entirely different nature. Electricians and other workers could be seen drifting around the property, as well as an appropriate number of security guards, but I wasn't fooled. All were disguises and covers, to maintain the veil we had covering the eyes of the rest of the region. Only a number of people, particularly with my background, could say with any degree of certainty that the cover was weak or obvious. Having a cheat sheet helped a lot.

I reduced my altitude once I was over the barbed wire fence, descending into the meadow not far from one of the rear entrances. I know for a fact most grunts with a nicotine habit came from doors like these, and while it was considerate of the non-habitual poison-inhaling crowd, I nevertheless made a point to give them a hard time about their persistent need to poison themselves, but I digress. The back door here would be the first step to my getting inside the base without having to go through the security chain.

There were no humans indulging themselves at the time, so I was a lot more comfortable with my drop-in than I normally would have been. The lack of an electric fence, security patrol, or anti-aircraft guns begged the question why intruders with accompanying avian weren't a persistent issue, especially from snoopy pre-teen vigilantes.

Not taking any chances with the door, I used my tail to jiggle the knob and push it open. Naturally, it gave me no trouble at all. How...delightfully encouraging. With the door ajar, I inched closer and peered past the initial barrier, finding the short corridor comfortably empty. I slipped inside, closing the door behind me with my tail and took a few seconds to examine my new surroundings. Like many Rocket buildings I've seen in my career, the walls were plain white and the floor was tiled with simple red tiles, a change in aesthetics, but still a little too plain for my tastes.

I hung back in the alcove serving as the rear exit, to better gather my thoughts and plans. I knew what I had to do, but getting to that point was another, greater matter entirely. Now that I had bypassed security to get inside, it was possible that most Rockets, aside from the security forces, would be unaware of my situation as an alleged mutineer. It would be better if I could clear things up with this base's leader, but I wasn't willing to bank my chances on it. If negotiations fell through, it would demolish any chance I had of getting Dominic transferred properly.

Putting on my usual air of belonging, I boldly left the safety of the back door and floated down the corridor, keeping my eyes peeled for anything that might look like an important computer room or executive's office. My experience in several of the bases, Vermillion being my main one, had taught me what type of rooms had information towards certain functions or roles in the organization's motives. However, even though the locations of the bases were mapped out, Rockets did not build every base by the same blueprints, although doing so was sure to be more cost effective and frankly, easier to design. I had never been to the Celadon base before, so the extent of my knowledge was roughly equivalent to my level of gourmet cooking skills. For those in the back of the class, I had no idea where I was going.

Without Ember or Spark to look after, I found myself becoming peculiarly at ease with my surroundings, despite the nature of my presence. I often went down the halls, checking out the various rooms and operations that I came across, when I wasn't training, doing a mission, or interacting with other free-roaming Pokémon. This was no different except that I really wasn't supposed to be here.

It wasn't long before I came across another Rocket, but contrary to my expectations, it was a human rather than a Pokémon. To be more specific, it was a middle-aged woman with flowing brown hair, dressed in the standard black Rocket uniform, sans logo. She did a double take upon seeing me, whereas I just smirked and came nearer, my confidence absolute as I addressed her.

"Don't be alarmed."

Despite my warning, the woman shrieked and leapt back, staring at me like I was a demonic spawn.

I raised an eye scale. "You don't follow instructions particularly well. I didn't say 'react exceptionally over-the-top for my amusement', but I'll make do with what I get." I gestured my tail around the corridor. "I was hoping you could give me a hand with something."

Still looking alarmed, but now a little curious, the woman paused to regain her composure. "Yes?" she looked at me uncertainly.

"Yes, I can understand you, and you can understand me. I am not a hallucination unless you hallucinate frequently, in which case I'm going to inquire as to how you ever passed the hiring process," I said flatly. "I'm looking for the executive, uh...Julian, right?"

The woman frowned. "Julian was transferred last month."

"Ah, then who is his replacement?" I asked, without missing a beat. I could hardly expect to have been updated on the status of every base's executives. The woman studied me suspiciously, prompting a chuckle. "You can trust me, miss. I have executive credentials, myself."

Still regarding me with suspicion, the woman gestured with her hand and began walking down the hall. Pleasantly surprised, I followed behind her. I hadn't expected to receive an escort, but at the same time, I wasn't so stupid as to lower my guard. She hadn't asked for clarification on my credentials, and grunts were routinely tested and warned to not give away information to anyone who could not concretely prove their loyalty to the organization. In many cases, they were told specifically to act oblivious to the goings-on, so that they could regroup with other Rockets if something went down.

Down the hall we went, every so often passing another human, all of which wore either casual wear or a uniform that didn't match the Rockets' garb. If I wasn't completely positive this was a Rocket base, I would have started to have second thoughts. If you can make a Rocket second-guess if he's in a Rocket facility, you're definitely subtle enough. This was good, but I had better things to focus on. Several of the passing humans turned to watch us for a few seconds until I gave them a cold glare, putting them back into their routines.

"So where are we going?" I asked the woman Rocket. She just glanced at me, but didn't answer. I prodded her shoulder with the end of my tail and repeated the question.

"You'll see."

Dissatisfied with that response, I prodded her shoulder again. "Be specific."

She shot me an annoyed glare, but again remained silent. This left me with the options of following her without complaint, breaking company, or antagonizing her until she walked away, turned on me, or answered. Ugh, if only I wasn't under suspicion of betrayal, I would risk a mere grunt's irritation, but since I couldn't afford to annoy her until I had a clearer path, I opted for permitting the insubordination. For now. Some people were just stubborn.

"Hey Jess!" A male voice called out and the woman froze, turning to her left towards an open doorway. Slowly she walked in that direction and idly leaned against the doorway, the occupants of the room out of my line of sight. I followed behind her and pushed her leg out of my way so that I could peer past her.

A pair of humans were sitting in an office-like room, one sitting on the desk surface, the other in an office chair leaned against the wall, a mug of coffee or similar clenched in his hand. The former eyed me with mild interest; the other either didn't notice me or didn't care.

"Yes?" the woman asked blandly.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking him," she said, jerking her thumb at me. "To the exec's office. So I'm busy, Evan."

"Come and stay a bit," the man said, gesturing for her to come into the room.

"I'm actually in a hurry," I interrupted. At this, the woman, Jess, walked into the room. "Oh, that's just cold."

"I'll take him," the young man on the desk said, sliding off and walking towards me, shutting the office door behind him. Surprised, I made to follow him down the hall, but he abruptly turned and headed down a flight of stairs.

"Where the hell are you going?" I demanded, floating after him regardless. The young man looked up at me.

"Down here," he said plainly. I scowled, but followed regardless. There was a moment or two of silence before the young man spoke again. "You have one of those translation collars, right?"

"Uh, yeah," I said, perplexed.

"That's pretty neat. I wouldn't mind having one of those when I'm training my Pokémon. It would make communication a little easier, I think. Not that I have much trouble understanding my Pokémon, but..." he trailed off awkwardly, rounding a bend and walking briskly down the corridor we emerged into.

I found myself with nothing to say. Ember would undoubtedly consider that a welcome change of pace, but my silence made me feel vulnerable and exposed. I didn't even know where this young man was taking me, or why he had volunteered for the task. Everything about this base so far had exceeded my expectations. While security was not as tight, everything seemed like a riddle wrapped in a labyrinth. No one gave straight answers and the few humans I had encountered didn't seem to have any of the mundane tasks to do that I had come to expect them bogged down with. Was the entire base of operations so skilled at a cover that they didn't even have Rocket qualities?

At last, the youth led me to a solitary door and knocked before entering, without waiting for a response on the other side. I followed, almost hesitantly, and found myself in a spacious office reminiscent of Ethan's. There was a desk with paperwork, but no one was seated there. The youth that had come with me flopped down on a small couch and reclined upon it. I raised an eyebrow.

"And what in Celebi's name are you doing now?"

"Relaxing. He's on lunch break," the young man said casually, not remotely troubled by my demand. I frowned and the youth cracked an eye open at me. "Dragonair, right?"

"That's my species and also my name. Don't wear it out."

"Noted. I'm Adrian."

"Original."

"Thank you, I think," he chuckled. I raised an eye scale. From a closer examination, he seemed to be in his early twenties, if even then. He looked younger, but not below seventeen. Humans are a bit trickier to accurately age once past the mid-teenage years, which is probably why the mid-twenty year olds were cast as younger characters in films. His nature was almost unique. He seemed so carefree and easy going, but his eyes showed seriousness I wouldn't ordinarily expect from one of his age. Perhaps he was just mature? True, it was ultimately irrelevant, but that didn't stop me from noticing in a lack of other things to focus on.

Approaching footsteps soon caught my attention, and the doorknob turned. Adrian didn't budge, even when the door swung open and a man walked inside.

And that's when I realized how screwed I was.


	26. Hook, Line, and Sinker

I stared at the man, and he in turn stared at me. Our eyes met and in that glance, there was an unpleasant shock of electricity. I recognized him and he recognized me. I would have curled my lip if I was actually capable of that facial expression, and I say this because he actually did curl his lip.

"Dragonair."

"Ed," I replied coldly, then blinked. "Wait a minute; no freaking way did you become an executive in less than forty-eight hours! You were still a mid-level grunt when I left Vermillion!"

Ed laughed. "Executive? Hell, I wish!"

That made me pause, now thoroughly bewildered. "Then what the hell are you doing here?" I demanded. It couldn't be mere coincidence that the base I had gone to currently housed Ed, if he wasn't the executive. Something wasn't quite adding up. Ed shook his head in mock pity.

"I'm one of the security managers at this base," he explained curtly. "Not all the way up the chain, it's a part-time gig, really. Funny, when Jess tipped me off you were here..."

"Wait, wait, wait...how did she tip you off?" I demanded with a scowl, unwilling to accept Ed's word without some sort of explanation. From the corner of my eye, Adrian was still reclining on the couch with an impassive expression.

Ed smirked. "Just how unlikely do you think it is that all the bases in Kanto aren't already aware that there's a rogue Dragonair running around? You're not a common species, and you're high on the chain of command, with a translation collar to boot." He eyed the collar at my neck and I smirked.

"Aw, don't tell me you're jealous that I have this," I snorted, tapping the metal ring with my tail. "We can always get you one, too."

Ed's eye twitched, but he composed himself, straightening his black formal uniform. The difference between this and the standard is that the formal one uses different material, making it stiffer and more wrinkle-proof, so that it had roughly the texture of a suit, but in fewer pieces. It was not devoid of the Rocket insignia, however, which made it very impractical in public, except for 'business negotiations' with whatever unfortunate business had attracted our finance team.

"Jess confirmed via a beeper that you had shown up, not that we weren't already aware of your arrival. Our doors are all monitored with sensors so we knew of the breach. All we needed was to organize to confront you. A nice, isolated location would do just fine," Ed smirked, and gazed around the room, raising a mocking eyebrow. "You wanted to go to an office?"

"This...isn't the executive's office, is it?" I asked, heart sinking. I had totally fallen for this.

"As much as I'd love to know why you were going after our execs, there will be another time for interrogations," Ed said. He withdrew a Pokeball from his waist, and in a fluid motion, Adrian left the couch to stand by the door, a Pokeball already in his hand as well. I looked between the two with an incredulous expression.

"Wait, wait...so this was all a setup? How?" I blustered, pointing my tail at Adrian. "How did you even know what was going on? Jess came over to your office area on that other guy's call."

"Oh, she was probably stalling. She hates talking to Evan," Adrian explained with a shrug. "I actually didn't know what was up until right now, but her wanting to stick around tipped me off that something was up."

"Then why'd you lead me to this room?" I demanded. Adrian blinked, and scratched the back of his head.

"This actually is our executive's office."

"Alfred!" Ed chided. The youth blinked at Ed, opened his mouth as if to correct him, but then shrugged it off. "There have been numerous reports filed on your account, Dragonair. I will be more than happy to fill out the proper forms regarding your…condition if you resist."

"I really have to ask, first," I said, gesturing my tail idly around the room. "Why would you lead suspicious individuals to this room to apprehend them? That seems illogical considering how completely I fell for the setup. Couldn't you have led me to a secure room where restraining me would be a simple task?"

Ed chuckled and I glared at him. He didn't even have to speak for me to know what he was thinking. If he thought his Pokémon actually could take me down with so little collateral damage to be considered 'simple', then he was definitely not all there. Venom was his strongest Pokémon, but still only on par with my strength, and Venom was a water-based Pokémon, making him less mobile in a room such as this, which definitely wasn't large enough for the enormous water snake to effectively battle.

It was Adrian who spoke up first. "If you were led to a room that didn't match your expectations, you would have known something was wrong in an instant."

I scowled. He had a point, but that didn't keep me from being annoyed about it. "I should have known something was up, anyway. It's way too early for anyone to be on a lunch break. It's scarcely past dawn."

Adrian chuckled awkwardly. "I had to say something. Lying isn't one of my strong points." This comment earned him another chiding glance from Ed, whereas I was mostly amused. Compared to most of the Rockets I've had contact with, this one seemed the most morally sound. How did a youth like him end up in the Rocket ranks? Most likely recruited as a starting trainer, but now wasn't the time to inquire about his life story.

"In any case, all of this formality and planning is pointless," I scowled. "I'm not the treacherous weasel you all seem convinced I am. That's the trouble with taking the word of disgruntled employees seeking some foolproof method of undermining disliked superiors."

Ed shook his head smugly. "Normally, I'd agree with you. Gravel is a slug."

"I object on the grounds that your comment is offensive to slugs," I said promptly. Adrian stifled a chuckle with his hand, earning yet another glare from the psychopath. "You were saying? Why don't you agree with me despite Gravel's sluggish qualities?"

Ed smirked. "Excluding the fact I don't like you-"

"The feeling's mutual, but that's hardly justification to persecute someone. Of course, human history strongly indicates that mindset has been active for centuries."

Ed ignored me. "Gravel isn't the only one to supply evidence or information on the events."

"Well, then I must be really thick, invading a Rocket facility after turn coating on the organization," I lamented sardonically. "Have you ever considered that maybe all my actions are justified in their unique circumstances?"

"Not my place to say."

"Amazing. You actually admitted that an action of yours is out of line. Now if only you were this humble all the time, instead of being a sadistic jackass."

"Not helping your case," Ed sneered. "Interrogation will come later in the process, assuming we have any reason to care what a Pokémon has to say."

"Bigotry always wins, doesn't it?" I sighed. Ed's mistake here was to let me stall long enough to form a plan of escape. Then again, I doubt he was the only security member to have assembled in this time, so the stall was sure to aid him as well. And here I was, cornered in an office room that allegedly belonged to the base's executive. "So now what?" I challenged, narrowing my eyes. "I can't imagine your boss being thrilled about you trashing his office, even for my sake."

"We take you in, whether by force or not," Ed answered, tightening his grip on the Pokeball in his hand. I rolled my eyes. Interesting word choice. Of course he would value force above a peaceful solution, even though I had no intention of being brought in at all. If they were going to insist that I was a traitor and not even give me a chance to explain or make reparations, then I'd do whatever was needed to escape the situation and stay away until the heat had died down. If only there was someone _reasonable_ that I could speak with.

Seeing that I hadn't budged, Ed gestured to Adrian, who stared at him in surprise. "What?"

"Send out your Pokémon," Ed commanded, using the obnoxiously authoritative voice he seems to think he has a right to. Adrian gaped.

"Whoa, whoa...I'm just here as decoration. I was bluffing to give the whole strength in numbers illusion. I'm not sending Thorn up against a Dragonair; he'd get annihilated."

"A hit for the team," Ed said impatiently. "It won't be a loss in vain. Every little bit towards weakening him will make it easier for the next. Every second delayed is another second the rest of the security team can organize. You know how the strategy works."

Adrian frowned. "I don't see how using Thorn as a scapegoat will benefit at all. Don't you carry a Machamp or something better suited to being first up against a dragon?"

"You both do realize I can hear every word you say, right?" I asked, looking between them. "And you do realize that I can just knock you both aside if I felt inclined to get out before you get your act together?" At this word, I unleashed a ring of electric current from my body, expanding around the room and hitting Ed, who was closest. Adrian reacted much quicker and darted into Ed's shadow, the current cutting off when it hit the larger man and stopping before the youth entirely.

With Ed's motor functions temporarily disabled, I flew forward, past the uniformed man. He made a movement towards me, only to find his legs wouldn't cooperate and he toppled over with an annoyed grunt. Adrian was smart enough not to plant himself into my path, so I exited the room with no further resistance.

Back outside in the corridor, I was unsurprised to see two other Rockets waiting for me, neither of them dressed in Rocket clothing, but they readied Pokeballs upon sighting me. My reflexes were faster, however, and a quick bolt of electricity knocked one of the spheres from one of their hands before they could throw. The other did get released, however, and it burst open, releasing a beam of white light that swiftly shaped itself into a silhouette. The white light faded, revealing a floating Pokémon with two conjoined heads. Not strictly true, since that seemed to all it was: two heads. Both were purple-gray in color and looked sickly. The larger of the two heads had a skull and crossbones symbol beneath its mouth, while the smaller had only a circle as the skull portion, sans crossbones.

The Weezing gave me a sickly look, but that was nothing new. It always looked like it had a bad case of the flu. It grunted in acknowledgement of its opponent, but its eyes were glazed and unfocused. It just hovered there, obediently awaiting its trainer's command. Look, I understood that obedient Pokémon is a plus and all that, but it also presents a massive opening to anyone with the sense to have independent thought. Without waiting for the human to shout a command, I charged forward, purposefully angling my body so that my path would not be misconstrued as an attack on the hovering poison type. The Weezing followed my movements with all of its eyes, but made no move to prevent me slipping past. Once between the Pokémon and its trainer, I lashed my tail forward, catching the man in the chest and shoving him aside.

The other human had been scrambling to collect his dropped Pokeball, but by the time he did so, I was already hurrying down the corridor. I'm sure it would have been more practical to have taken the time to incapacitate the group so they couldn't track my movements or call for backup, but the time taken to do that would be less time I had to access their systems and get out before they locked the damn base down.

Unfortunately, as soon as I had reached the stairs, another pair of humans appeared to block my path, and unlike the others, they had their Pokémon out already, one being a purple Pokémon shaped like a ten pointed star with a large gem fixed within its middle. I retreated a few feet in time to avoid a pale beam of ice that this Pokémon directed at me, and only too aware of the abandoned humans storming down the corridor behind me, trapping me somewhere in between the two groups. The Starmie twirled in midair, its hypnotic jewel core glowing, and waves of energy expanded from the gem. Upon contact, I felt an invisible force press against me, hurling me into the wall and pinning me in place.

As I struggled to move, with no success, one of the humans raised another Pokeball. My failed struggles became more desperate as the sphere was hurled towards me, hitting against my coils. For a moment that felt like an eternity, I waited, silently willing the Pokeball not to open. Celebi chose to ignore my prayer, for the ball clicked open and I felt myself becoming absorbed into the ball, and with a sickening sensation in my gut, dropped into the simulated environment I often compared to purgatory. A loud click echoed through the lifeless environment, sealing me inside.

This was not going to be my day.


	27. Mood Whiplash

I don't know for how long I was locked inside that false environment, but it was long enough to lament my misfortune. Sure, I can't deny that the grass, trees, and even the water had an aesthetically pleasing appearance to it, but I have trouble believing that Pokémon who actually lived in such environments before capture would find this an acceptable substitution.

There was no question that the environment was 'comfortable' and it certainly provided an interesting range of scenery, from the luxurious oaks stretching their branches across the sky like a canopy, to the random flat boulder in the meadow section. Even the water provided something to look at and admire. The problem with all this is it tried so hard to be realistic and enjoyable that there was no soul to the place. The air and plants were scentless, the grass never rustled, the trees never bent their branches, and the water was a hollow imitation.

Now that I had the time and reason to pay closer attention to the things I didn't like, it occurred to me that the water was capable of getting my scales wet and being swallowed, but it didn't give me a feeling of satisfaction, except possibly to satiate a dry throat. Furthermore, it was flavorless, just like the berries supplied by the simulated bushes. None of them could satisfy hunger, but now that I thought about it, I don't recall ever feeling hungry or thirsty within the confines of a Pokeball. Did they come with life support systems, or did they freeze our metabolism?

Perhaps that's the reason the environment is able to simulate food and drink. It's not for the pleasure of eating, for there is no taste. It's not merely for decoration, for it can be consumed, but it doesn't satisfy our needs because we don't have needs within the Pokeball. I can easily envision depressed Pokémon eating the food without pause to try to chase away their depressions, only to find the food will never fill them, and they miss out on the flavor, prompting them to keep eating to chase away the morbid horror of eating being unsatisfying. Congratulations, humans. Your technological advances have just created a generation of overeating, self-conscious Pokémon who will exist only for the satisfaction of being ordered around like an animal in exchange for praise and food with flavor. Flavored food, company, and praise would become paradise compared to the bleak, meaningless fate Pokémon are fitted with inside their simulated prisons, where crushing loneliness and despair would be the only companions.

I imagine even getting beaten would be bliss compared to being stuffed back inside the ball, for the pain would remind them that they're alive. Celebi, I need to get out of here before I drive myself insane with morbid theories regarding the purpose of a Pokeball. We're all the slaves of humans, thanks to these devices. Failure is punished with a 'rest' inside our personal hells, where we are taunted with illusions of paradise, illusions that will slowly rape our psyche. Fail too often and you'll never even taste real life for longer than a few moments. By being strong, one will be called back to the real world more often, and allowed to experience true sensations again.

Okay, seriously. Get me the hell out of here.

No matter how strongly I willed myself to break free of my environment, I was met with a strange resistance; a sort of mental barrier that told me to relax and assuring me that I'd be okay and would adjust to the strange environment without sanity loss. Oh, dear Celebi, even the Pokeball whispers cruel lies to your mind! I've just discovered evidence supporting those crackpots who say media and technology is evil! This is like the walls of your house telling you there's not a knife-wielding maniac kicking down your front door! Even though you desperately want to believe them, you can't help but wonder why they were so specific.

I resigned myself to the outcome, although it was at least twenty minutes before I actually stopped struggling and curled up on the fake grass. Remember when I said Ethan needed to get a better Pokeball if he wanted to keep me inside one? This was a better Pokeball, and I missed Ethan's worn out one already. I guess Pokeballs can only last so many years before they start to weaken. That was an encouraging thought. Maybe in about four years, I'll be able to start breaking out of this one. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and after enduring four years of being in this ball, I expect it would have been plenty of time to cool off. Not that I really intended on waiting four years to get out. I don't even know what the hell the Rockets are going to do with me. None of them want to listen to my side of the story, but killing me or something hardly seems practical for a crime without any real casualties, considering my four to five years of previous experience.

The minutes all seemed to meld together until at last I felt a tingling sensation, the only warning I received before being yanked from the Pokeball's environment. I emerged in a dimly lit...room, I suppose is the best description of it. The floor beneath my body was layered in dirt, but patches of a gray concrete were visible in areas where the dirt had been spread thin or disturbed. The next thing I noticed was that I wasn't alone, as initially expected. There was a distinct feel of multiple presences, and the murmuring behind me helped confirm. I lifted my head and turned around to see what sort of situation I had gotten myself into.

I found myself face to face with an orange-furred quadruped with gentle, yet intense, brown eyes. This was remarkably difficult to overlook considering that in the time it had taken me to turn my neck, it had invaded my personal space and was quite literally standing mere inches away from me. I recoiled a bit and blinked at the other Pokémon. Its fur was primarily orange, but it had a collar of cream-colored fur around its neck that matched a tuft of fur on its head. Its tail was similarly fluffy but of a lighter shade than the collar. I vaguely remembered the species as a Flareon, although I hadn't really had much contact with that particular Pokémon over the course of my life, at least not since my Dratini days. Good times.

"Hello!" the quadruped said, flashing me a grin. Perturbed by the invasion of personal space, I looked away and chanced a look around. I seemed to be in some of large...well, not a cage, but it was definitely a containment room in the same spirit as a cage. There was also a noticeable diversity of species. I saw at least a dozen different species, and my stomach sank horribly upon seeing an Ekans among the group.

There were no humans in sight, but I wasn't sure what to make of that. I had been captured and had expected to have to answer to the accusations relating to the misunderstandings, but so far they had done nothing but hurl me in some sort of cage-like room with several other Pokémon. Whoever had released me hadn't even lingered long enough to notice its departure, although I now realized I had been released into a corner area, with my back to where I assumed the door had been. With that in mind, I'm not surprised the fact slipped my notice, but why had they put me in here? Surely a dragon Pokémon should have been given some form of restraint to ensure I didn't just blast out of here.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" the Flareon complained, drawing my attention back to it. The grin reappeared. "Hey. I'm Blaze."

"That's nice," I said blandly. The Flareon was unfazed by my disinterest, merely moved slightly nearer, all but checking me out as it studied me. True, dragons like myself were so rare some considered them mythical, and I suspect there was a very low supply of entertainments to seek wherever the hell we were, but the lack of respect for personal space was a bit annoying. Ignoring the overcurious fire type, I gazed around. Since I had no idea how long I'd be here, I may as well get used to the monotony. It was still a superior option to the Pokeball, all but confirming my theory.

"What's your name cutie?" the Flareon asked casually. I did a double take, blinking several times at the fire type.

"Aren't you male?" I asked uncertainly. Usually the voice tips me off about these things, but I have been fooled before.

The grin reappeared yet again. I'm starting to hate that facial expression. "Yup, I'm the only male. So you have to do everything I say," he informed me proudly. I looked around and gestured broadly with my tail.

"So all these Pokémon are females?"

"Except for me."

"There are two males."

"What? Who?" Blaze gasped, looking around at the others in the area as if wondering which one had lied to him. I blinked at him, unsure whether he was serious or not.

"That would be me," I said, rolling my eyes. "You can't possibly expect me to believe my voice is effeminate."

Blaze frowned and turned back to me. "No, not really," he grumbled. "But you're all curvy and stuff."

"I'd appreciate you leaving my personal space right about now, gender confusion no longer being an appropriate excuse," I said, gently nudging the Flareon away from me using my tail.

"Why'd they put another male in here?" Blaze complained, obediently stepping away.

"I'm sure I'm going to regret asking this, but why do you care?"

Blaze grinned. "You know how cool it is to be an alpha?"

I hesitated, still not sure the best way to handle asking for elaboration. "You mean being in charge of everyone?" I guessed. The Flareon nodded enthusiastically. "Of course. I spent a lot of time being in charge of others."

Blaze's expression became one of horror. "I'm still in charge!"

"Nah, I'm a dragon, I trump you."

"Nuh-uh! I was here first!"

"That's typically how usurpations play out," I noted.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

"Nuh-uh!"

I'm ashamed to admit that this went back and forth for at least a minute before an elegant blue quadruped with a webbed collar and a mermaid tail wandered over and lightly smacked Blaze in the back of the head, promptly causing him to forget what we were arguing about and giving the Vaporeon a sheepish grin.

Now, a Vaporeon is a Pokémon I've had more personal experience with, although again, it was from my pre-capture days, and they were a very rare sight during my Rocket career. In the roughly five years I've spent with them, I've seen a Vaporeon maybe twice, and one may have been a mirage during the incident with...stuff happening, let's move on.

"Did he wake you?" Blaze asked, pointing a paw at me accusingly. I scowled.

"Your voice is like an air horn," I countered. Blaze turned on me.

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

Seriously, if the water type hadn't smacked Blaze again, we might have started up again. Something about this Flareon makes me throw out all intelligent thought in favor of trying to beat him at his own game. Even more pathetic is I'm only annoyed by it after the fact, never during. I blame being stuffed in a Pokeball for hell knows how long.

"Please tell me you're not exerting dominance over each other by shouting 'Am not!' and 'Are too!'," the Vaporeon sighed.

"Well, the first time it was 'nuh-uh' and 'uh-huh'," Blaze said helpfully. The water type didn't laugh, and Blaze sobered a little. "Sorry if he woke you."

The Vaporeon focused upon me. "I'm Aura, nice to meet you..." she paused, leaving an obvious space for me to introduce myself.

"Not going to append 'cutie' or similar to that?" I asked. Blaze growled defensively.

Aura glanced over at Blaze before answering. "Did you want me to?"

"No, but it'd hold to the pattern, only this time actually used by someone of the opposite gender."

"I think I'll pass," she said pleasantly. "Who are you?"

"Dragonair," I said bluntly. "Yes, that is my name," I said briskly, seeing she was opening her mouth to comment. I never particularly cared much for the little joke Ethan had had with my name. Upon capturing me as a Dratini, he deemed it appropriate to name me after my evolution. I took the name to be ironic in that sense, but it was hardly amusing. After my evolution, it became less annoying, except I had to explain that I was actually named that, instead of just wanting to be called by my species.

"Are you staying long?" Blaze asked, completely serious. Both Aura and I gave him a look.

"So...what goes on around here?" I asked, gesturing my tail around at the other Pokémon, silently taking note that unlike the two Eons, they were giving me a wide berth. If what Blaze said was true, they were all females, but that wasn't the greatest clue regarding the purpose of caging them all here.

Aura stretched. "Many are just captured Pokémon that don't have Rocket trainers or need more training...at least that's what I gathered. Others are rebellious in some form, and things like that. Not all of them even know why they're here." She looked away, and Blaze inched closer to her, nudging her side. I longed to ask why she was here, but her present mannerisms advised me to reconsider.

"What stops Pokémon from just breaking out and escaping?" I asked. Aura winced and my heart sank further.

"It's not a good idea," she said, and left it at that. That was definitely not so vague as to be completely ineffective at dissuading me.

"How might I try anyway?"

* * *

**Issuing a formal request for feedback of the story so far. You are free to compare it to the original, but I'd also like to know how it stands on its own. Any flaws or weaknesses in things such as plot or characterization would be appreciated if you're bold enough to pursue a more critical approach. Seriously, just let me know how I'm doing. Blaze's personality is one of the most finicky aspects of the story so far, so comments on that would be appreciated as well.**


	28. Interviews

**There's something incredibly ironic about November supposedly being like...National Writing Month or whatever it's called, because this month was without question the WORST month for writing that I've ever experienced. Writer's block for the solid month, and this chapter went through like...a dozen rewrites, to the point where I churned out what I could or else it'd never get done. I hope this chapter is still good quality.**

**I can only assume that this block was my brain/writing ethic's way of slacking off from writing Half Moon last year. Thanks to everyone who actually obliged to give me feedback last chapter; I really appreciated it, and I apologize for the delay.**

* * *

Aura and Blaze exchanged looks, but neither seemed inclined to answer my question. Instead, Aura made an unconvincing show of thinking her answer through, and Blaze shifted his focus to what I'm sure was a _fascinating_ streak of rust on the wall behind me. Now it's possible he's just got an attention disorder, but I'm not giving him the benefit of the doubt there.

"You're not going to answer me, are you?" I conceded with a sigh. Aura's look of relief at my tone was confirmation enough, so I shook my head and floated over to the larger group of Pokémon. If the most attentive Pokémon in the cell didn't want to help me out, I'd find someone in the majority who could, even if it meant prodding the hell out of them until they answered.

I stopped by a Sandshrew, which twitched uncomfortably at my approach, prompting me to halt my approach a little further from her than I normally might have done. I've found in the past that invading someone's personal space was a terrific way to put someone off-balance, but a horrible way to entice them to do anything other than recoil.

"Relax," I told her. "I just want to talk to you, if you don't mind." Thank Celebi for my management experience. I had only technically carried authority, considering I could only effectively communicate with the Pokémon faction of the Rockets, and I couldn't tell the Pokémon to do something contrary to the human Rockets' commands. Well I could, but most of them knew better than to directly defy their human superiors. For almost any non-conflicting order, I had executive authority. Through this, I learned how to befriend the 'inferior' ranks, which actually made me quite popular. It may just have been they didn't want to get on my bad side, but why argue semantics?

The Sandshrew fidgeted a little, but nodded, which I chose to assume was her consent for questioning. Some of the other Pokémon watched us with mildly curious expressions. Sadly, I'm inclined to think my presence is the highlight of their day; then again, we are locked in a large cage-like room.

"Wonderful. Your cooperation is definitely appreciated," I told her. "First of all, I expect an introduction is in order. I am Dragonair."

The Sandshrew smiled weakly. "Spines," she said. "It's nice to meet you, miss."

I paused. If the Flareon had been truthful, gender confusion was to be expected, and I didn't want to upset or embarrass the Sandshrew by correcting her right now. She didn't seem to be the type that could handle being flustered and still be cooperative.

"Likewise," I said finally. "First of all, how long have you been here?"

Spines gave me an uncertain look. "I don't know."

"A long time?" I guessed. She shrugged, and I repressed a sigh. If this was any indication, perhaps she wouldn't be as helpful as I hoped she would be, but I moved on regardless. "Well, do you know how things are run around here, so that I might know what to expect? Pokémon are fed, correct?"

"Of course we're fed," she giggled.

I stared at her. While I didn't honestly believe the Rockets would let the Pokémon starve, regardless of their importance to the organization, the way she dismissed the notion of otherwise was interesting to consider. The crime organization was not renowned for Pokémon kindness, and would not have been surprised in the slightest if there was still plenty of neglect or abuse. The captives at that lab had been alarming enough without me becoming a member of a group that may receive similar treatment.

"How's the food quality?"

The Sandshrew shrugged. "I've had worse." Admittedly not the most informative answer, considering my lack of knowledge of a Sandshrew's typical diet, so I may need to ask for a second opinion later.

"What's the deal with the Pokémon in here? Aura there said something about how some are just rebellious or need more training. If that's the case, why are we all locked up in here?" I asked. "For example, what's your situation?"

Spines twitched a little before answering. "They want me to evolve, so I'm trained here."

"What heartless bastards," I said sarcastically. Spines flinched, reminding me that she wasn't in a free environment like the one I was used to prior to evolution. "Sorry, but how are the training sessions? Too brutal? Too easy?"

"Exhausting," the Sandshrew sighed. "I'm too tired to do much else but sleep and eat. I fight until I lose...and I don't last forever."

"No one does," I noted. "What about some of the others? Do you know their story or are they being trained here, too?"

"I don't know. I don't like to pry," Spines said shyly. I nodded. That was a fair answer, and I was running out of questions she was likely to know the answers to. Why she was in this large cell seemed to be purely a matter of convenience for the Rockets, so that they would have their training specimen available without fear of her wandering off or getting hurt when outside of training. I was fortunate that my executive rank permitted me a private living space. From my experience, such living spaces were reserved for the humans if they lived on-base, and very rarely were such areas given to Pokémon when Pokeballs were available.

If Aura was correct about some of the Pokémon being rebellious, giving them too many freedoms would encourage the insubordination, and make them harder to train to serve the Rocket purposes. Not all Pokémon could be free-roamers like I and numerous others, had been. Different bases, different management, different priorities and rules. It may be unfair, but it was practical. This lightened my mood a little. Even if I was presently dubbed a traitor, the fact I wasn't being outright punished, and instead being restrained, gave me hope that this matter could be cleared up with as little pain as possible, at least given the situation.

"Thank you for your help, Spines," I told her, stretching my body and moving back over to where Blaze and Aura were sitting. Blaze eyed me warily, whereas the Vaporeon merely looked up at me.

"Find what you were looking for?" Aura wondered. I shook my head.

"Not really. I was hoping for more, but I'll make do with what I can get. It would be great if..." I stopped abruptly, seeing a human shadow on the wall just outside the translucent wall on the far side of the room. Blaze tensed up, one of his ears twitching. Aura showed no reaction, but her eyes were also upon the shadow.

A man dressed in a black business suit stepped into view, and I watched as he slid some sort of keycard on a device just outside the 'door', or whatever term would be better suited to describe the sliding wall that allowed him entrance. Behind him stood two men, dressed in a logo-less uniform. Both stood at attention, their eyes searching the room for any Pokémon acting out or looking aggressive. Such a waste of time, since most of the Pokémon in the room were either passive or asleep.

"Dragonair," the man spoke. I blinked.

"That's my name, do your best not to wear it out." If the man was startled by the translation of my words, he didn't show it, nor did the two accompanying him. They just watched me with serious expressions. "So...to what do I owe this pleasure? Just a conjugal visit or something else?"

"We are collecting you," one man spoke simply, and raised a Pokeball. My reflexes kicked in as the beam of red shot towards me, and I twisted my body out of the way. Frowning, the man tried again to reclaim me with the accursed sphere, and yet again I dodged it.

"Do not make this more difficult," the suited man growled, but I ignored the warning, quickly ducking behind one of the other Pokémon in order to dodge the beam again.

"Hello," a soft voice spoke from somewhere to my left, but I ignored the voice at first, keeping a wary eye on the three humans intent on sealing me inside that hell of a Pokeball. When I didn't answer, I received a light prodding to my tail, and shot the offender a brief glare, almost recoiling when I saw the speaker was the Ekans I had noticed earlier.

"Yeah, hi, I'm a little busy, but if you leave a message at the silence, I might get back to you," I told her irritably. The Ekans hissed quietly in amusement, and her tail rattled in an odd manner, made even stranger when I noticed her tail was draped lazily over my own, with the most noticeable difference being that she wasn't as long as I was, so a more accurate parallel was her tail being over my back.

"You know, it's not every day that I see a Dragonair," she whispered. "I'm Rosa." From the corner of my eye, I saw her move a little closer, but I pushed it from my mind, more concerned with the trio of humans, none of which seemed to be making any effort to capture me in the ball...at least at the moment. It briefly came to my notice that this snake didn't have an elongated hiss to her words, but again it was dismissed.

"Messages are timed, you know. Get to the point," I said impatiently. Didn't she realize I had far more pressing things at tail now than her random desire to introduce her presence to my attention?

A sudden shiver ran through me when a snake-like tongue flicked across my neck, and this time I turned to stare at her, greatly unnerved by the sudden action. She smirked, flashing a glimpse of her fangs. "Just getting to know your scent," she explained, and her eyes glinted. At the same time, her tail flicked, brushing the rattle lightly against my coils. She flicked her tongue in what I could consider a playful manner, before adding, "Want to get to know mine?"

"Um...what?"

"My scent. Want to get to know it?" she repeated, her smirk widening. She stretched her body out leisurely, and I instinctively glanced at her coils. "It's strongest near my belly, though...is that a problem? We can pretend your scent glands are on your tongue, if you want..."

"Are you hitting on me?" I demanded. In retrospect, it was incredibly blatant that's what she was doing, but the abruptness was jarring enough to throw me off balance.

"Ooh, handsome and perceptive," the Ekans hissed in a manner eerily like a giggle. Sudden or not, Blaze did say he was the only male aside from me. I guess I shouldn't be that surprised that one of the occupants would jump the gun to hit on the male with the closest body shape to her, and she wasn't that bad looking. At the same time...my experiences with Ekans have tended to be tainted by them trying to kill me or my friends.

"Right...uh, now isn't a good time..."

"Tonight, then?" the Ekans murmured, licking my neck and rubbing her head against my scales, making an eerily pretty purr-like sound. My mind blanked out and I just stared at her. Suddenly, she backed off, and in that moment, I saw the subtle pink glow to her eyes, and I knew what was coming, even before I felt a tugging sensation that signaled the recall into a Pokeball.

I looked around the simulated environment, shaking off the lingering daze from the serpent's Attract. Lingering side effects included the complete inability to feel anger at the situation. I sighed and curled up, feeling an odd mixture of annoyance and disappointment. "Am I ever going to catch a break around here?"

As if to answer that question, another tugging sensation shot through me, and I found myself removed from the simulated environment and emerging...in some sort of office room. A man sat at the desk, hands folded. Flanking him were two humans, each carrying some sort of baton. I cast a quick look around and then grinned.

"Ethy!"

Ethan did not smile, although he did raise an eyebrow.

"Long time no see. What are we up to? Forty-eight hours or am I off by a couple days? I really have no idea. Ever feel like time is completely inconsistent?" I mused, but after examining his stony face, let out a sigh, but kept my tone chipper. "So, you've probably heard some _wild_ rumors from some disgruntled employees…"


	29. Ethan's Beration

Ethan folded his hands on the desk and gave me a stern look. "Oh, I can tell this is going to be good. So what rumors do you think I've been hearing?"

"Aren't you glad I have this collar?" I wondered. "Just imagine how badly you'd have been deceived if it weren't for my ability to communicate with you in this most dire time, as disgruntled employees plot to undermine the executive system that has been so painstakingly implemented."

Ethan's stern look slowly gave way to blank confusion as I spoke, and I smirked. Just as I thought, that report he had been writing really had just been about throwing in the fancy words with no effort devoted to keeping the meaning intact.

"Initially, my motive for visiting the Cerulean base was guided by a noted procedural error that I wished to penalize, for purposes admittedly ironic for my profession," I continued, doing my best to keep a straight face. It was fun to watch Ethan subtly try to follow my sesquipedalian terminology while keeping a stern face. No one cracks open a dictionary or thesaurus in their free time anymore. If I didn't know better, I'd think I had a strange hobby.

"Dragonair, if it weren't for the fact you're my Pokémon and already equipped with that translation collar, I wouldn't even be bothering with this discussion. Get to the point," Ethan said, his last sentence said in a tone so stern that even my instinct to snark was repressed.

I sighed, but kept my composure the best I could. The edge to the man's voice concerned me. It was lucky that I did have the collar if that was the attitude he was taking, but the way he said it made me think he didn't care much for my explanation, but was willing to hear it for the hell of it. That didn't bode well.

"Okay, so I went to the Cerulean base and it was all fine and nice. The security was a bit on-edge but I can hardly blame them for that, right?" I gave a quick smirk, but Ethan tapped his fingers on the desk. Oh great, losing my audience already. "So I go around, find my way to the basement lab, everything seems to be in order, but that Dr. Gravel guy decides to start citing textbook examples of egomania, including but not limited to thinking his word trumps everybody else's by virtue of him being him."

Ethan's brow furrowed. "I see. Go on."

"So after making a number of attempts to peacefully negotiate the situation, including citing numerous rules and procedures that justify my cause, and still finding him to be uncooperative, the situation took a few turns for the worst."

"Meaning you attacked him," Ethan interrupted. I paused.

"Technically?"

"What part of this are you trying to justify?" Ethan demanded, now looking thoroughly annoyed. "I have looked the other way innumerable times these past five years, and risked my own money and credibility to justify keeping one with your impulsive nature on board, despite the costs that you inevitably produce."

"I can tell you're mad because you're using big words," I noted dryly. "Funny how that-"

"Shut up," Ethan snapped. "Further reports have stated you attacked other employees, including the head of security-"

"That was self-defense. He attacked me first," I protested.

"It doesn't matter!" Ethan snapped, slamming his fist on the desk with a loud bang. Ethan was not a particularly burly person, so the outburst wasn't especially intimidating to me. I merely raised my eye scale in response. "You attacking personnel is cause for detainment! By resisting, you just made everything worse for you and for me!"

I clicked my tongue. "The alternative was worth the risk to avoid."

Ethan gave me a flat look. "You've seen the excuses some of the grunts have come up with. You didn't really think that one would work, did you?"

I paused, tapping my chin with the tip of my tail. "And yet I can't help but think I'm still in the right here, and that most of your employees are bigots." Okay, that may be a little extreme, but the basis of my claim was spot-on.

"And how do you figure that?" Ethan asked.

"Well, too often I've found that the arrogant or disgruntled employees justify their defiance by stating that the one calling them out on it is a Pokémon and therefore they are free to resume undermining the system, despite being outranked. In their eyes, species trumps rank."

"You don't _have_ rank," Ethan growled.

I shook my head. "Now Ethan, that just doesn't make any sense. If I don't have any rank or authority, than my political weight over the other Pokémon in our organization is purely technical and that would throw my whole Pokémon-based system into disrepair. If I'm trumped by a Rocket human grunt, then my authority over the Pokémon would likewise be overruled and then there's a power vacuum as other Pokémon struggle to protect only their own investments or assets and-"

"Dragonair?" Ethan interrupted. "I don't care."

"Ah, you hit upon the foundation of the problem. Indifference is the bane of society. It is the same with political systems and legal processes. When those given the task and authority to enforce the rules refuse to act or pay heed to the rules themselves, then chaos is able to reign."

"And we as an organization cannot keep an unstable Pokémon on board!" Ethan shouted, slamming his fist on the desk again. "You should know that with several other Pokémon in the past! Rebellious natures, violent behavior, and other such actions had to be curbed or else we couldn't use them, and here we are, having this ridiculous discussion about how you're justified in attacking our employees because they disagreed with you!"

"Well when you say it like that, it sounds stupid," I noted.

"Go figure," Ethan spat. I flinched. Somehow I had lost all control of the conversation, and it was becoming steadily more apparent just how fed up the human executive was. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and fixed me with a stern look. "You leave me very little choice in this matter, Dragonair. You have no idea how much I regret this course of action."

"What do you mean?" I asked, dropping the snarkiness and looking at him with genuine concern. The man sighed and shook his head.

"If I do nothing about this, then it'll all come down on my head. You will go through our rehabilitation program until you're no longer considered a threat to our operations or personnel. Until then, all privileges and authority you seem to have is revoked, and in the case your behavior does not meet the standards...well, that gets taken care of."

"How? Taken care of how?" I demanded, my throat tightening. Ethan didn't answer. "If you're having a joke at my expense, it's not amusing."

"No, I suppose it isn't. Nor is it amusing to have a Pokémon under my name that acts aggressively on its own accord and agenda," Ethan said, turning away. "Until rehabilitated, you're not my concern."

"...just like that?" I asked. "You can just drop me like an old cloth over misunderstandings among colleagues that go wrong?"

"Tip of the iceberg. You should know that," Ethan said. He made a gesture with one hand, and I felt a tugging sensation before being dragged back into the hellish interior of the Pokeball.

Time seemed to stand still once I returned to the simulated environment, but I barely noticed, much more preoccupied by the lump in my throat and the pang in my upper body. Had I really gone too far this time? I hadn't thought my actions had been so severe as to warrant what amounted to Ethan disowning me until I was rehabilitated or whatever. I didn't even know what the rehabilitation process actually consisted of. All Pokémon I knew that had been recommended for the program never returned under my command, but with so many bases spread throughout the regions, that didn't necessarily mean anything sinister.

I curled up and rested my head on my coils, exhaling unhappily. Had I really caused Ethan that much hardship? Even if he said he regretted the action, that didn't lessen the blow inflicted upon me. I've known Ethan for most of my life, and yet now...now I wasn't even considered his Pokémon anymore. All to spare his career and salary a gruesome fate for his defense of my behaviors. Now what was I going to do? Ethan taking my side was what I had been counting on, and now that he hadn't, it occurred to me that Gravel had been right all along. The matter of the Raichu wasn't important enough for Ethan to override, and now I was worse off for my efforts.

Was I really a burden? I've been loyal to the organization since my capture, and I had the respect and interests of so many of the Rocket Pokémon. What would happen now, when they learned what had become of me? I doubted any of them would do much more than make me the tail of their jokes of falling on hard times, and even if my charges got dropped after a successful rehabilitation...I'd have lost their respect. I could never go back to the position I had before, and a new Pokémon would take charge of the system. I always wanted to name my successor in the event of early retirement...heh, how silly of me, to reflect on such stupid things in such a dire time. How...unlike me.

I closed my eyes when they started to sting. How long would this delay me? I had promised to return to Saffron by the end of the day, and already I had no idea how much time had passed. Ember...who knew what she was feeling now? What if she thought I had abandoned her and Spark, or if she thought I had died or something? What would she do now, with her own reputation stained and no idea what had become of me?

What about Spark? The clingy, but admittedly cute Pichu that I had promised to help reunite him with his captured parents? My whole reason for coming here was to set up the plan to intercept Dominic and reclaim his stolen Raichu, yet I had hit another roadblock, and every day that I hadn't retrieved the Raichu was another day closer to it being an impossible feat. What would become of the Pichu then?

I can't help but find it strange, that during a time when I should be concerned about my future, I worry about others, neither of whom was in serious danger compared to my situation. Then again, I was closer to Ember than anyone else in my life, and the thought of her upset about my disappearance made me feel slightly ill or even guilty. I had gone behind her back in the hopes of ridding myself of burdens for my mission, and ultimately it all came back to bite me. Any hardship I faced would be doubled with the nagging fear that Ember and Spark may never know what had become of me, and come to their own conclusions.

If I get out of this…I can only hope they can forgive me for my rash actions.


	30. Tarot Intermission

**I considered waiting until the 17th to post this chapter (kudos to anyone who knows why that date's important), but I finished it sooner than expected. I'll probably read this in the morning and wish I had waited, but oh well. Enjoy. **

**Ember POV**

To the credit of the Pokémon Center, my recovery went smoothly, with the Chansey nurse more or less attending to all of my injuries. Loath as I was to accept the help, she had persisted until I had little choice but to let her. Spark had been as energetic as usual, but surprisingly had stayed on the good side of the nursing staff by asking questions without causing trouble. I mostly just slept, but after the second nap of not having Dragonair pop in to visit, I asked if the Chansey had seen him.

"He did _what_?"

Evidently, Dragonair had decided to go leave to the Celadon base for whatever the hell his plan was, and had decided not to tell me about it. I refuse to give him credit for telling the Pokémon Center staff to tell me where he had gone if I had asked. That jerk didn't even bother visiting me and instead just snuck away without a word to me. Just goes to show how selfish he could be. I don't care if he has a good reason for it; to me it was insensitive. So now what am I supposed to do until he comes back? I couldn't go back to the Rockets without him, and I sure hell didn't have anything to do around the city.

So here I was, waiting outside the Saffron Pokémon Center as the sky darkened and became black. Spark was sitting next to me, eating a sandwich the Pokémon nurses had given him. Every twenty minutes or so, one Chansey had checked on us to make sure we were okay, the most recent time was when Spark complained of hunger. I was too annoyed to eat, and my body ached still, even if I was fit enough to not be sleeping in a bed anymore. Still there was no sign of Dragonair and I was long out of patience.

The only consolation was it wasn't especially cold considering the time of the year, and the Saffron streets were brightly lit with street lamps, making my tail flame less necessary as a source of light. That also meant Spark and I were clearly visible if someone was to look our way, and I'm sure that was part of Dragonair's plan to catch up to us.

"Ugh, it's no good, Spark," I sighed at last.

"Me like!" Spark whined, holding up his sandwich. I gave him a puzzled look, but quickly understood the confusion.

"Not that. I'm not waiting for him anymore. Let's go," I muttered, pushing away from the Pokémon Center wall that I had leaned against and taking a few steps towards one end of the block. Saffron had four different directions one could leave the city from, and if I went to the west, I could find Celadon. If Dragonair was lucky, I might actually give a damn enough to see if he went there, but more likely I'd just find a place to stay until I could get a better plan.

I clenched my jaw. Mew damn it, I couldn't live in the wild alone forever! I hadn't lived in the wild since I was a young Charmander and even then I hadn't been alone. That was before I had even gotten caught by the Rockets, and it was not anything I cared to revisit. And just what was I supposed to do about Spark? Dragonair had dragged me into this, and now he had up and vanished on us, leaving all the consequences of his decisions on my shoulders. There were times when I regretted ever knowing Dragonair. Sure, we were friends and pretty close by that account, but this was just ridiculous.

"Pardon me."

I stopped in my tracks at the sound of a voice just off to my left. Spark bumped into me from behind and whined, going quiet when I grunted an apology. I turned towards the speaker and flinched when I saw a purple humanoid Pokémon standing just off to the side, its back against a tree. The first thing that drew my attention was its eyes, which seemed to be nothing more than two large glittering gemstones, as silver as moonlight itself. A small red gem was similarly placed on its chest, but it lacked the same reflective appearance of the eyes. The creature stood with a slight hunch, although this didn't seem to discomfort it at all. There was a peculiar vibe about the other Pokémon, something difficult to place my claw on, but I pushed the thought aside in favor of a more important question.

"Who are you?" I asked, not even bothering to hide my suspicion. Some random Pokémon had just spoken to us, and I wanted to know who it was and what it wanted.

The Pokémon gave me a gentle smile, flashing a row of sharp teeth. "My name is Tarot," he said, extending a paw. I glanced at the offered paw unsurely before shaking it. The touch was cold, but not unpleasantly so, and the 'flesh' of the paw was...strange, to say the least. It didn't feel normal, almost like a liquid, but it was too dense and solid. I withdrew my paw uncomfortably, yet the Pokémon seemed unfazed.

"What are you?" I blurted, unable to contain my confusion any longer. Spark giggled at my question and wandered closer, watching the other Pokémon curiously.

Tarot smiled, clearly unoffended by the tactless question. "I am a Sableye. A ghost Pokémon, if you're unfamiliar. I apologize if I've alarmed you, or if I'm intruding. I was merely wondering about the source of your aggravation."

"Aggravation?"

"Yes," Tarot said calmly. Every word he spoke was delivered with calm, clear emphasis that seemed to give every word special meaning and importance, no matter how slight. "I couldn't help but notice you appeared troubled, and I wondered if there was some way I could assist you."

I scowled slightly. "I'm fine."

"Me want find Dragon!" Spark chirped from my side. I winced. Thanks a lot, Spark. Now the ghost is going to ask what he means, and that'll make me either tell Spark to shut up, or explain the whole situation, something I really wasn't up to doing.

To my surprise, however, Tarot smiled at the kit without asking any questions about Dragonair or Spark's meaning. "Hello there, little one," he said softly, extending a paw. Spark gripped it with both paws and began shaking vigorously, his smaller stature forcing Tarot to bend slightly, but the ghost seemed untroubled.

"Hi! Me Spark!" the Pichu squealed. "Ooh, you paw feel funny. Why that?"

"I assume because I'm a Sableye," Tarot replied. Spark recoiled, prompting a confused blink from the ghost.

"You what?" he whimpered.

"Sableye," Tarot repeated. Spark looked at me uncertainly, and I shrugged. He didn't seem to be a threat right now, but I still hadn't found out what the hell he wanted from us. "It's all right," Tarot said, smiling and focusing on me once more. "If you are sure that you are untroubled, I will not force my assistance upon you," he assured me. I gave a curt nod in reply. I still wasn't sure that he could help, or that his help would be of any use, even if I wanted to accept it. I don't even know what I want, so how could I get help for what I want?

"What that?" Spark blurted, pointing at the Sableye. At this time, I suddenly noticed that a small deck of cards had appeared within the ghost's paws, seemingly out of nowhere, and that he was shuffling them idly. They didn't appear to be a regular deck of playing cards, or of any type that I have seen before, and there couldn't possibly be more than half a regular deck, if even that many. The backs of the cards were plain blue, with an ornate star emblem in the center.

Tarot smiled again, still as serenely as before. "Tarot cards, used in tarot readings, a divinatory skill I am very well-versed in."

"I didn't follow a word of that," I remarked dryly. Spark looked similarly stumped, but at the same time, highly impressed, as if Tarot had just announced he could run around the world.

Tarot's expression became one of mild surprise. "You have not heard of tarot reading before? It's a fascinating art to some, and meaningless drivel to others. Would you care for a demonstration?"

I looked over at Spark, who nodded enthusiastically, oblivious to my opinion. I sighed. "Fine, shoot."

"Before I begin, may I have your name, miss?" the Sableye ventured. "I don't believe you've exchanged it."

I shrugged, seeing no reason to withhold my name. He had answered me, after all. "Ember."

"Lovely," he said, still shuffling the cards. He gestured one paw towards the surrounding area. "Feel free to take a seat and get comfortable. This won't be long, but nevertheless your comfort is important."

I shrugged and walked over to a tree, plopping down and resting my back against the trunk. Spark raced over and hopped into my lap, startling me. The Pichu looked up at me cutely and snuggled against my stomach, hugging me. I felt my face flush, but fortunately the hug only lasted a few seconds before Spark pivoted to face the Sableye, which had appeared in front of us without me noticing the movement. Then again, ghosts had that teleportation or invisibility thing going for them.

The ghost gave the cards a few more seconds of shuffling time, and then focused his glittering eyes upon me. The gaze seemed thoughtful, almost analytical, and had a surprising amount of depth considering the lack of pupils or other eye-like features. Finally, the Sableye pulled the top card from the deck and, without looking at it, flicked it upwards, where it paused in midair, the back facing me. Spark made an 'ooh' of delight, his eyes fixed upon the floating card. I was less than impressed.

Still, the ghost casually drew three more cards, this time in a single motion, and like the first, flicked them upwards. They halted in midair, backs still towards me, but arranged in a single line beneath the first card, which hovered above the middle card in the latter group. Slowly, the cards seemed to sink down, until they were only slightly higher than Tarot's eye level.

"Can you explain what you're doing?" I asked, feeling lost as to the procedure.

Tarot smiled gently. "Certainly. The single, uppermost card is the card most pertaining to you overall. The one on your far left indicates your past, which will be interpreted based on the card relating to you. The lower middle is the present, indicative perhaps of your present situation, or more generally, your state of life as is. The card on your far right is, as you can imagine, the future. Do you follow so far?"

I nodded. "I guess so."

Tarot chuckled. "Then I'll begin. The card most representing you overall..." he flicked his paw upwards, and the top card flipped around, displaying a peculiar picture. I squinted at it, but could only make out some minor details, the most prominent being what seemed to be sky with a sun or a moon in the center.

"I'm lost now," I muttered.

Tarot chuckled, not looking up at the card, but answering nevertheless. "The Moon. Many times the Moon indicates a difficult path ahead, one that can be passed through with difficulty, yet many find the road to be too treacherous, and harbor doubts regarding the future ahead. The Moon symbolizes doubts, dreads, and fear. You feel uncertain about your life, and have questioned your purpose numerous times. The Moon is the dominant card in this spread, being the card chosen to represent your spirit."

Tarot did not wait for an answer and gestured. The far left card turned around, and I found myself looking at another strange picture. Unlike the previous one, this one was noticeably upside down. I blinked, looking towards the Sableye for clarification. Tarot seemed unbothered, however. If anything, he seemed almost pleased.

"The Emperor. The card normally indicates a strong figure, such as a father or a leader. It symbolizes authority, discipline, and power itself. However, the card is inverted. This has many more interpretations. Your past was clouded by a feeling of helplessness...a strong figure in your life was removed, and you could not fulfill the role yourself, instead seeking a surrogate leader to fill the void."

I scowled, unable to tell if he was making things up as he went along or deliberately mocking me. "And how the hell do you come up with that?" I demanded. Spark flinched a little and patted my arm.

Tarot smiled serenely. "I apologize if I have offended you in some way. The inverted Emperor indicates a lack of control, a lack of leadership, a lack of power. Coupled with the Moon as the domineering card, it felt appropriate to interpret that the role was abandoned or lost."

I growled, but didn't object further. He doesn't know a thing about me. Tarot continued as if there had been no objection, and the middle card turned to face me. The image of this card was much easier to make out, with two humans, one man and one woman, depicted. However, the card was again upside down, making me wonder whether they were supposed to be.

"The Lovers," Tarot said. "This card often symbolizes romance, bonding, passion, and naturally all matters of the heart. A beautiful card it is, but it also indicates choice and desire. However...it seems the card has been inverted, indicating turmoil within the heart...a refusal to make a choice, or pursue your own desires. You do not want to be as close to others, yet at the same time may long desperately for proximity and a bond."

I twitched. "Can I get a translation?" I wasn't putting it past this ghost to sneak a subtle jab at me behind the fancy and vague words.

Tarot chuckled, showing his impressively sharp teeth. "You question your own worth, your own beliefs. You may take a submissive approach, rather than let your own desires guide you. How can you have faith when you won't make a move of your own accord? You allow others to lead you, for you do not have the strength to follow your own desires, even if the guided path is one you actively oppose. Submission leads to unhappiness, rather than the pleasure the Lovers normally foretells. It's all written in the cards you see here. The doubts and uncertainty, the lack of initiative of your past, the missing passion of your present."

There really wasn't much to say to that. I looked down, weighing over the Sableye's words. Where does he get this stuff about me? How could he know anything about how I think or act, just based on the two minutes we've interacted, and a trio of cards from a deck?

"And what's the last one?" I asked finally.

Tarot gestured, and the last card turned around. I flinched, easily seeing that the last card depicted some sort of demon, with chains binding victims to a throne it sat upon. Tarot smiled. "The Fiend. The Fiend represents anger, pessimism, stagnation and ignorance. All emotions that bind you to an unfortunate fate, ruled by negativity. It indicates the loss of hope, and the darkness that has wrapped around your neck and choked you. For you see, the path you may walk is the path of self-destruction. To do nothing of your own accord is to not have control, to sacrifice your options rather than risk anything. They say with no risk comes no gain, and the Fiend her confirms."

Tarot gestured towards the topmost card, and it shone with a pure white aura. "The Moon indicates doubt, and while the future is always uncertain, you doubt your future will hold anything bright, so you've all but given up. Nothing will change in the future unless you act to change it! You never took the reins of your life, despite the opportunity, and you're slowly losing the passion you once held. Once it's gone, your stagnant future will be sealed. You fight for nothing, so you can achieve nothing but immediate gratification, with no hope in the end. But that doesn't mean you are truly lost."

"It doesn't?" I asked, raising an eye scale skeptically. Tarot chuckled again, and extended his paw until the four cards had settled down on it.

"Believing you can change and then acting on it is the first step, Ember," he said. "I will leave that judgment to you, however. I will not tell you what to do. The cards offer guidance, and are not perfect indicators of the future. It is possible I am completely wrong, but I don't think I am. As a favor to you, I will not make a decision for you. It's your turn to steer your path. Take the reins of your life...and live."


	31. Remakes Never Work

**Ugh...**

**The original TDW last 2 1/2 years before it got so out of control and massive that I decided it to be better to reboot it.**

**Almost exactly 6 months later, I'm throwing in the towel. I can't do it.**

**Certainly, the reboot is better than the original in many ways. But much like all remakes of popular movies or books, they can never truly live up to the original. **

**There will always be dissenters and purists, who insist that any change is an insult to the original, which was perfect as it was, and these individuals may not even review the new material and pre-emptively decry its value.**

**There will also be those who complain about every change, whether it be a mild difference, or a complete revamp. They will hate the material for removing things, or hate the material for not removing things.**

**But this isn't about what people do or don't like. Truth be told, it has absolutely nothing to do with my fans, silent or vocal, although if I had to gripe, it's that you were very supportive at the end of the original, and supportive at the beginning of the Phoenix Version. Then as time passed, it were as if I had nothing at all.**

**Again, not the point. I don't want anyone to get the idea that someone or something ticked me off, and I'm axing the reboot as a result, because that's what happened to Curse of Existence.**

**The problem is that I was too optimistic about my chances. I thought TDW could succeed where my other projects had failed, based on my raw determination to finish what I started, but that simply isn't true. No matter what I write or change, there will be another step, further down the road, that will be compared too strongly to the original. The comparison will overshadow the good, and all you can find within the story is something rehashed, or modified too heavily. People want something new, but they want something true to the spirit of the original, and I cannot provide that. Every fight, every plot aspect, every twist will only be good if readers didn't see it coming, and if the author properly took the steps to ensure its execution. The original TDW is my crutch, and I'm bound by the story it tried to tell, for better or worse.**

**Fact is, the characters are tired. They're fed up with working so long for so little. They've walked the road already, had their struggles, had their fights and survived. Yet being asked to walk the long road again, when they never even glimpsed the finish line, is unfair to them. It's been almost 3 years, and some of them have existed past that mark. It's been too long, and they want to be done.**

**TDW has been my pet project for most of my "career" on FF, and it served its purpose in helping me discover my writing potential. Yet its growth has hindered and choked all my other projects, one by one. Its existence hindered Dark Eons' growth, even if it was a seed of TDW that brought DE into the world. Then it rose up and choked its offspring to death, doing likewise to the resusitation efforts that was the redo.**

**As long as the story existed, nothing else could live. All other seeds it scattered were stomped out so that nothing could threaten its dominance. Then it finally broke, but was promised salvation.**

**But really, why force it through these tracks again? I too am tired, just like the characters. Tired of writing the same characters, day by day. Tired of pushing them through a convoluted plot that once made sense, and tired of trying to summon the same spirit and emotion the beginning years for me held before I sunk into a darker storytelling style.**

**I love my characters, and I loved the story I had written. But if I don't let the story fade now, nothing else of mine can ever flourish. One by one, my other projects died out as my efforts were split between TDW and whatever else I was attempting. And it seemed that my newer stories were infinitely more entertaining than TDW had been, yet guess which took the blow when something went down?**

**I imagine that, in the future, I can write some smaller stories involving some of TDW's characters, maybe their backstories or side stories that can live without the parent killing it. But I have no immediate plan to do so. I want to tackle something new, something solid that I can write with full effort.**

**I can't imagine all readers to take this news without complaint. Well...it can't be helped. No matter how good people might belatedly say my efforts were, I have come to accept that my efforts are ultimately wasted if I proceed.**

**You may PM me regarding...just about anything, whether it be about the story, plot, characters, past, present, future, bitching at me, etc. That's the only consolation I can give, aside from future projects have vastly better surviveability chances. Oh, and as a complimentary answer, Darkness was my all-time favorite character. *huggle* I blame Half-Moon.**

**Well...uh, hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year or alternative holidays. Bye for now.**


End file.
